How does PolitiFact Georgia’s Truth-O-Meter work?
Our goal is to help you find the truth in American politics. Reporters from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution fact-check statements by local, state and national political leaders, including lobbyists and interest groups. We then rate them on the AJC Truth-O-Meter.
To fact-check a claim, reporters first contact the speaker to verify the statement. Next, the research begins. Reporters consult a variety of sources, including industry and academic experts. This research can take hours or a few days or even longer, depending on the claim. Reporters then compile the research into story form and include a recommended Truth-O-Meter ruling.
The fact check then moves on to a panel of veteran editors who debate the statement and the reporter’s recommended Truth-O-Meter ruling. The panel votes on a final ruling; majority prevails.
Claims from the Georgia campaign trail took a ride on the AJC Truth-O-Meter last week, courtesy of nonpartisan fact-checkers at PolitiFact Georgia.
We looked at Gov. Nathan Deal’s claim that changes made in sentencing in 2012 are paying off — literally — and that Georgia’s ranking as a low tax state was a “real result” of his administration.
We checked out U.S. Rep. Paul Broun’s claim that his is the only Republican plan that would repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and also take the bureaucrats out of the process.
And we looked at whether food stamp recipients, as one state lawmaker suggested, could use government assistance to buy lobster.
Abbreviated versions of our fact checks are below.
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Full versions can be found at www.politifact.com/georgia/.
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Gov. Nathan Deal: Georgia has saved $20 million through changes in criminal sentencing.
Deal recently said that changes in criminal sentencing adopted in 2012 have helped Georgia’s bottom line by about $20 million.
Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said that in 2011 the state paid counties more than $23 million to house state inmates in county jails, some of which were overcrowded.
“In 2013, the payments were slightly under $3.2 million — approximately $20 million less!” Robinson wrote in an email.
As a result of the changes, Georgia has reduced sentences for relatively minor crimes such as writing bad checks and burglary. The state also is diverting addicts to community supervision and treatment through so-called accountability courts instead of sending them through the normal criminal system and on to prison.
Deal said Georgia has saved $20 million through changes in sentencing. State data show there has been a $20 million decrease in the amount of money spent housing state inmates in county jails.
We rated the governor’s statement True.
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Gov. Nathan Deal: One of the “real results” of his term is Georgia having “the lowest taxes per capita of any state.”
Deal is running for re-election, and his initial strategy is to tell voters that he’s the “real Deal” in the race and the candidate who has produced “real results.”
In a recent campaign flier, Deal cites one of those “real results” — the fact that Georgia is ranked as the state with the “lowest taxes per capita” by the nonpartisan, Washington-based Tax Foundation
The campaign accurately quotes the Tax Foundation’s latest published report, showing Georgia 50th out of 50, with state tax collections averaging $1,639 per person.
But is that something Deal can take credit for?
The foundation’s report is based on state tax collections for the fiscal year that runs from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011. Deal only became governor Jan. 10, 2011, meaning he was in office less than six months during the period that was the basis for the foundation’s rankings.
Jen Talaber, the communications director at Deal for Governor, made three points on why the governor deserved credit for the state’s low ranking. First, one of Deal’s early executive orders put a freeze on the gas tax. Second, he could have adjusted the tax rate or allowed agencies to implement something like a tobacco tax, but did not. Lastly, the governor controlled his revenue estimate in the amended budget for Fiscal Year 2011 to limit state spending and rebuild the state’s reserves, or savings.
Our research confirmed that the gas tax freeze took effect July 1, 2011, and had no impact on state tax collections in the rating period. To the second point, it is hard to say how something the governor didn’t do affected state tax collections.
To the third point, he did lower the general fund revenue estimate for the amended 2011 budget by $27.7 million. That allowed the state to increase its reserves, but it didn’t affect the tax rate.
The campaign’s overarching point seems to be that Georgia has low per capita taxes under Deal. That is true. But it also had low taxes under his predecessor.
We rated the statement by Deal as Mostly False.
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U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Athens: Says his Patient OPTION Act is the only Republican plan “that completely repeals Obamacare,” and “it takes the federal bureaucrat out of decisions for you.”
Broun says he has the elixir to improve the nation’s health care system.
The U.S. Senate hopeful is promoting his plan — the Patient OPTION Act — on the campaign trail.
“Of all of the Republican plans out there, it’s the only one that completely repeals Obamacare,” Broun said at a recent candidate forum. “It takes the federal bureaucrat out of decisions for you.”
Broun, a doctor, has sponsored legislation that does not require the secretary of health and human services (or anyone else at the federal level) to administer health plans put together by associations. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is phased out in Broun’s plan. Other anti-Obamacare legislation keeps CMS in place, Broun’s camp says.
But the duties of CMS would be transferred to the Treasury Department, meaning there will still be some federal officials involved in the process. Broun’s bill would make Obamacare disappear. But so would other GOP proposals. And Broun’s plan does not make the bureaucracy go away.
We rated Broun’s statement as Mostly False.
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State Rep. Greg Morris, R-Vidalia: You can buy lobster with food stamps.
A food fight recently erupted in the Georgia Legislature over food stamps — with a morsel of information tossed out by one lawmaker that was too tasty for the Truth-O-Meter to pass up.
State Rep. Greg Morris, a Republican from Vidalia, was lobbying for a bill he authored that would require food stamp recipients to be drug tested.
He said the average worker is economizing and buying inexpensive cuts of meat, while food stamps can be used to buy lobster. The lawmaker’s angst may stem from several Fox News reports about an aspiring musician who used the federal benefits to buy the high-end seafood.
The USDA has no restrictions preventing recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from buying luxury items such as steak and seafood. They can also buy food and soft drinks that are less nutritious, such as ice cream. Alcohol, beer, cigarettes and wine are prohibited. Live animals are off the list as well.
The USDA said in a 2007 report that it resisted restrictions of most foods because they say it would be difficult to regulate, considering there are more than 300,000 food products in the country. The federal agency was also worried that further restrictions would embarrass some recipients and discourage them from applying to SNAP.
So are there many other food stamp recipients buying lobster? It’s unclear. Messages to the USDA were not returned.
Morris said that you can buy lobster with food stamps. It’s unknown how many other food stamp recipients are cracking open this yummy seafood from its shell.
As the Fox News video showed, there is at least one person receiving those federal benefits who bought lobster. The man did say he does so if it’s on sale.
From what we’ve seen, there are few people buying such high-end items, but it is possible.
We rated Morris’ statement as True.
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