Check the facts, indeed

I’ve decided to “Check the facts,” as a letter to the editor challenges in the Jan. 1 edition, regarding the economy during Obama’s reign. Factcheck.org, hardly a conservative bastion, reports that the economy (not Obama) added 10.7 million jobs, not 15 million. Let’s look at stats not reported in the letter, as revealed by Factcheck.org: The poverty rate is up, with 36 percent more Americans on food stamps.

The federal debt has more than doubled, with annual deficits (again) on the rise. Home ownership has dropped to the lowest level in more than 50 years. The labor force participation rate has dropped three percentage points since Obama took office.

In a letter in the same edition, “False credit for Trump,” the author complained that we are duped by commentary that claims to be “fair and balanced.” The absence of information above suggests that the author is hardly “fair and balanced” himself.

Craig Detmer

Spokane