Recent stories from Elizabeth Miniet

"Obamacare" gets examined on the Truth-O-Meter

The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, has stirred plenty of emotions and truth-twisting by its supporters and critics. Below are some abbreviated versions of fact checks of statements about it by President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney during the campaign. Look for the complete fact checks at the PolitiFact online sites. Readers can comment on our Truth-O-Meter rulings at our Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/politifact.georgia?fref=ts.  And they can follow us on Twitter at: PolitiFactGA.

PolitiFact examines candidates claims on Medicare

The future of Medicare, the federal health care program for older and disabled Americans, has been a key issue in the race for the White House. The issue came into sharp focus after Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney named U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate. In 2011, Ryan proposed a hotly debated plan to ensure Medicare remains solvent. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have consistently claimed the GOP approach would end Medicare guarantees for seniors. The Republicans have countered the Obama administration has cut Medicare spending through the controversial 2010 health care law. Below are some abbreviated versions of fact checks of statements by the candidates on the issue. Look for the complete fact checks at the PolitiFact online sites. Readers can comment on our Truth-O-Meter rulings at our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/politifact.georgia?fref=ts. And they can follow us on Twitter at: PolitiFactGA.

Another debate, a new round of fact-checks

The second presidential debate is in the books. A third and final face-to-face showdown between Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama is set for Monday. PolitiFact and PolitiFact Georgia checked statements made by the candidates during Tuesday’s town hall-style event. Below are some (abbreviated versions of) fact-checks on statements by the candidates or major themes they broached during their second debate. We will be updating our online site -- http://www.politifact.com/georgia/ -- continuously as fact-checks are completed. Readers can comment on our Truth-O-Meter rulings at our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/politifact.georgia?fref=ts. And they can follow on Twitter at: PolitiFactGA. Look for the complete fact-checks at the PolitiFact online sites.

A closer look at 'redistribution'

We look into comments from Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on redistribution and find it's long been a part of U.S. tax policy. Go to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/politifact.georgia) for full versions of these and other fact-checks. Readers can comment on our rulings at the FaceBook site. Or find us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/politifactga). We update that page with new fact-checks throughout the news cycle.

Democrats make case for Obama re-election

The Democrats wrapped up their convention Thursday night in Charlotte with President Barack Obama making his case for four more years on the job. Prior to the president’s culminating speech, PolitiFact, PolitiFact Georgia and the AJC Truth-O-Meter tested some claims made by former President Bill Clinton and political leaders during convention appearances. We will complete a full fact-check of claims made by Obama in Saturday’s paper, and a roundup of claims made throughout the convention on Sunday. Want to comment on our rulings? Go to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/politifact.georgia) or find us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/politifactga). And check our Facebook page throughout the day. We update it with new convention fact-checks morning, noon and night.

Convention speakers throw verbal jabs at Obama

President Barack Obama quipped that Republicans have said some "wonderful" things about him during this week’s national convention in Tampa. Speakers contrasted the president’s record to GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s. Others claimed Obama has never worked in business and doesn’t want farm kids to do basic chores. PolitiFact looked at those claims and others. Want to comment on our rulings? Go to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/politifact.georgia) or find us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/politifactga). And check our Facebook page throughout the day. We update it with new convention fact-checks morning and night. Read summaries of some of our latest checks below. Look for a roundup of our fact-checks of Romney’s speech in Saturday’s newspaper.

Republican convention: Talking about money

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney took center stage Tuesday on PolitiFact and the Truth-O-Meter as Republicans geared up to nominate him at their Tampa convention. First, we tested a talking point GOP leaders are using to cast Mitt Romney as a self-made man: That Romney "gave away his father's inheritance." We also checked Romney’s critique of the economy and its effects on young people. The economy is perhaps the Obama campaign’s biggest hurdle, and Democrats know it. One of his top campaign aides tried to defend him by saying that the recovery during President Barack Obama’s term is stronger than President Ronald Reagan’s. Wrong. We also checked an attack on Obama by Romney’s vice presidential pick U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan about declining household incomes. He was wrong, too. Read these summaries of our findings below. Want to comment on our rulings? Go to our Facebook page, or find us on Twitter. And watch for us during the conventions. We’re providing daily Truth-O-Meter updates for this week’s Republican convention in Tampa and next week’s Democratic convention in Charlotte.

Transportation Tax: The Best of the Truths, Rumors and Gridlock

The road to Tuesday’s monumental transportation tax vote is paved with truths, rumors and innuendoes. Leave it to the Truth-O-Meter to inspect every bump and crack in the pavement. Since spring, PolitiFact published nearly two dozen stories checking statements about the 10-year, 1 percent sales tax, otherwise known as T-SPLOST. It could raise $8.5 billion over 10 years, after inflation. Want to comment on our transportation tax rulings? Just go to our Facebook page or find us on Twitter. Both sides got it wrong some of the time. Statements by supporters and opponents often fell short of True. And once Election Day is over, we expect the rhetoric to continue. Metro Atlantans love to gripe about traffic. Bring it on. We could go for miles and miles. Read these summaries of our transportation tax rulings below.

PolitiFact Georgia reviews Gingrich's classics

(Editor’s note: With the Iowa caucuses only two months away, PolitiFact Georgia will dedicate this week to summaries of key fact-checks on the leading GOP candidates as well as President Barack Obama’s performance on his 500 campaign promises. Today we look at Newt Gingrich.) Want to comment on our findings? Visit us on Facebook.

The Best of Texas Gov. Rick Perry

Editor’s note: With the Iowa caucuses only two months away, PolitiFact Georgia will dedicate this week to summaries of key fact-checks on the leading GOP candidates as well as President Barack Obama’s performance on his 500 campaign promises. Today we look at Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Want to comment on our findings? Visit us on Facebook.  "We cut property taxes by one-third in the state of Texas while I’ve been governor." On the campaign trail in New Hampshire Oct. 1, Perry repeated this common battle cry in his campaign for the Republican nomination. He’s referring to House Bill 1, which he signed into law in 2006. It’s intended to reduce property taxes paid to local school districts. The overhaul effectively lowered the maintenance and operation segment of the school tax, from $1.50 to $1.00 per $100 of assessed property value, or about one-third. But it didn’t translate to 33 percent lower bills for taxpayers. If you look at total property tax revenue, Texans paid about the same amount in 2010 as they did in 2005. If you adjust for inflation, he's closer (it's about 9 percent less), but it's still far short of one-third. We find his claim Mostly False.