CBO Offers Its Two Cents on Federal Pay
Federal workers overall get just 2 percent higher wages than private-sector employees holding similar jobs, but they receive 16 percent more in total compensation because of generous benefits. There are, however, great differences in wages and benefits depending on education levels; less-educated federal workers receive higher wages and benefits compared …
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Dueling Debt Deceptions
Q: How much has the federal debt gone up under Obama? A: During his first three years in office, it rose $4.7 trillion, an increase of 45 percent. Partisan graphics circulating via email and Facebook are both incorrect. FULL ANSWER Both sides are circulating deceptions about the federal debt, judging …
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FactCheck Mailbag, Week of Jan. 24-30
This week, readers sent us comments about our analysis of President Obama’s State of the Union address. In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the email we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.   The State of Your Facts I have used …
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McCain’s Erroneous Earmark Attack
Sen. John McCain incorrectly claimed that earmarks nearly doubled from $7.8 billion to $14.5 billion in Newt Gingrich’s first two years as House speaker. Actually, the increase was about half that. Furthermore, earmarks first peaked, then declined under Gingrich. By the final year of his speakership, earmarked spending was 20 …
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The Gingrich Counterattack in Florida
Now comes the counterattack. After weeks of taking it on the chin in Florida without throwing a punch, the Gingrich side has  finally begun to fight back with TV attack ads of its own. Among the new ads is one from a pro-Gingrich super PAC that takes the personal attacks …
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Jan. 23: Health Care, Damon Corp., Regulations

More Florida Fouls
Newt Gingrich falsely claimed he never favored a federal mandate requiring individuals to have health insurance. Romney repeated a false accusation that President Obama failed to denounce Hamas rocket attacks in a speech to the United Nations. And Santorum insisted that Muslim terrorists are seeking missile bases in Cuba — …
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FactCheck Mailbag, Week of Jan 17-23
This week, readers sent us comments about emergency contraception pills, and causation and correlation. In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the email we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.   ‘Pious Baloney’ Leftovers Thanks for the fact check on the South …
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Florida Ad War: Mitt Pounds Newt
The air wars in a pivotal Florida Republican primary race have so far been a decidedly one-sided affair, with Mitt Romney and a pro-Romney super PAC saturating the airwaves for weeks with a slew of attack ads aimed chiefly at Newt Gingrich. ...
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Gingrich Spanish Radio Ad Pulled
Before we got a chance to write about it, Newt Gingrich yanked a Spanish-language radio ad off the airwaves in Florida. The reason: No, it wasn’t a stellar fact-checking by journalists. Rather, it was Republican Sen. Marco Rubio’s complaint that the ad’s criticism of Mitt Romney was “inaccurate, inflammatory, and …
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