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Stories by Eric Stirgus
PolitiFact: Job count elusive for Georgia’s solar energy industry
Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols recently took a different approach to hear from Georgians — a Twitter town hall meeting. Some of our most interesting fact-checking claims have come from the social media site that has an estimated 200 million users, so we were curious to see what Echols had ...
PolitiFact: Not all areas spared from millage increases in Fulton since ‘91
The year was 1991. U.S. military forces ousted Saddam Hussein’s troops from Kuwait in what was called Operation Desert Storm. The Atlanta Braves thrilled the city with an improbable World Series appearance. “The Silence of the Lambs” won the Oscar for Best Picture. Basketball legend Michael Jordan won his first ...
PolitiFact: Retirement account proposals called tax increases
U.S. Rep. Tom Price of Georgia has some specific concerns about President Barack Obama’s proposed budget. A post on the Roswell Republican’s Twitter page summarized his objections. “POTUS’ budget adds 2 new tax increases to IRA & 401(k) savers. A total tax increase of $14billion. #ObamaTaxHike,” it read. POTUS is ...
PolitiFact: Labeling of Barrow as an ‘Obamacare’ supporter is a stretch
Call it a pre-emptive strike, guilt by association or just good ol’ fashioned partisan politics. The National Republican Senatorial Committee sent out a news release shortly after the April 29 debate between the candidates running for a vacant congressional seat in South Carolina. Former Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican, won ...
PolitiFact: Chamber leader errs on tort reform claim
One of the state’s leading business boosters recently offered some advice he believes will help improve Georgia’s economy. The Peach State needs additional measures to ensure businesses get a fair shake in Georgia courtrooms. “Other states have passed even better tort reforms,” Chris Clark, the president of the Georgia Chamber ...
PolitiFact: Isakson ports claim on target
The deepening of the Georgia ports is one of the few issues in this state that has the support of the state’s top elected officials regardless of party affiliation. Shortly before President Barack Obama unveiled his proposed budget, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., made his case for why more federal ...
PolitiFact: Claim about dentists’ campaign spending comes with cavities
A state senator caused a stir when she gave a speech accusing some of her colleagues of being beholden to some influential industries because of their support for a bill. Sen. Renee Unterman, a Republican from Gwinnett County, opposed House Bill 132, which would allow dentists, dental hygienists and pharmacists ...
PolitiFact: Weighing Isakson’s consistency on gun checks
The recent legislation in the U.S. Senate to expand background checks on guns was one of the highest-profile votes this year. The measure eventually failed on a 54-46 vote. Senate rules required it to get at least 60 votes in order to succeed. But some gun advocates were angry the ...
PolitiFact: Point made about Deal appointments, but sample size too small
Before the Georgia Legislature ended its 2013 session last month, one senator took Gov. Nathan Deal to task for what the lawmaker said was a lack of racial diversity amongst appointees to various state boards and positions. “Less than 3 percent of appointees, since they’ve taken office, by the executive ...
PolitiFact: Barrow takes aim at congressional recess days
Congress has received record-low approval ratings in recent years, thanks largely to the oceanlike divide on issues such as federal spending, taxes and gun control. One Georgia congressman offered another reason for public scorn. “On January 3rd, a new Congress convened with a mandate from voters all across this country ...
PolitiFact: U.S. corporate tax rate sparks debate
Mid-April, despite the warmer weather, is a dreaded time for many Georgians. It’s the worst of allergy season. Pollen, go away! It’s also time to settle up with Uncle Sam. Monday was the deadline to file income taxes. Against that backdrop, PolitiFact Georgia thought it’d be worthwhile to examine an ...
PolitiFact: Congressman criticizes IRS video a tad too boldly
Video. The final frontier for some federal workers. A group of Internal Revenue Service employees went where few had gone before by creating a video in which they dressed as “Star Trek” characters. The video was intended for training purposes. When word got out about the video, particularly that tens ...
PolitiFact: Broun takes on rival’s record on proposed cuts
Timing is everything in politics. So U.S. Rep. Paul Broun didn’t take long to distinguish himself from a new candidate in what could be the most interesting statewide political primary in Georgia in years. Broun, an Athens Republican, was speaking to the University of Georgia College Republicans on March 27 ...
This stadium comment was no winner
Some critics of the proposed $1 billion stadium in downtown Atlanta have raised questions about the idea. One question that keeps surfacing: “What’s wrong with the Georgia Dome?” Atlanta City Councilwoman Cleta Winslow tried to answer that question during a March 18 council meeting in which she voted in favor ...
PolitiFact: Data not extensive enough to back chicken claim
Before you finish eating that piece of chicken, you may want to read this article. A recent letter to a Georgia congressman made the birds sound downright unappetizing. “[A] 2009 USDA study found that 87 percent of chicken carcasses tested positive for generic E. coli, a sign of fecal contamination, ...
PolitiFact: Lawmaker says Georgia loses out on fireworks revenue
The Georgia night sky could — loudly — come to life if a piece of legislation becomes state law. Senate Resolution 378 would allow revenue from the sale of consumer fireworks to be used to help fund trauma care and firefighter services in Georgia. Currently, nothing with more pop than ...
PolitiFact: Despite a little baggage, airline tax claim is cleared for landing
Plane tickets have been part of some of the more curious claims taken on by PolitiFact: “Every time you buy an airline ticket, the federal government runs a background check on you” — PolitiFact Texas: Mostly False You can use food stamps for a plane ticket to “go to Hawaii” ...
No way to prove claim about threats against Obama
He’s the nation’s first African-American president. He’s infuriated many people with his policies on key issues, such as health care and taxes. He’s also a target of terrorists. Because of some of these factors and others, some say the U.S. Secret Service has handled more death threats against President Barack ...
PolitiFact: Are Georgia’s gun laws most lax in U.S.?
Georgia has the most lax gun laws in the nation. Georgia state Sen. Donzella James during a March 4, 2013, debate about Senate Bill 101 —- PolitiFact Georgia is usually interested when an elected official claims the Peach State is first or worst in a particular category. State Sen. Donzella ...
PolitiFact: Claim on background checks by state senator checks out
“More than 80 percent of Americans believe we need to have universal background checks.” Georgia state Sen. Nan Orrock during debate of a bill March 4 —- Some gun-control advocates use as part of their arsenal in the national debate on this issue that most Americans support their effort, including ...
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