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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

September 10, 2009

More than half – 55 percent – of 3- and 4-year-olds in the U.S. were enrolled in school, as of October 2007.

Source: Census Bureau

Cantor’s Gender Problem

At a press stakeout on Capitol Hill today, House GOP Whip Eric Cantor sounded bullish about his party’s success in pouring cold water on the idea of a "government option," or a federal health insurance plan that would compete with private plans. That’s fine, but he made one statement that puzzled us:

Cantor, 9/9: I think intuitively that most Americans believe that more government in health care means more rationing and more forced discrimination on the basis of gender and age.

FactCheck Mailbag, Week of Sept. 1-Sept. 8

This week, readers sent us comments on Medicare, skepticism and the expansion of FactCheck into other forms of media.
In the FactCheck Mailbag we feature some of the e-mail we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.

‘No Guarantee’ — With Plan, or Without

Conservatives for Patients’ Rights, whose ads we have faulted in the past, is airing a new spot that calls for dropping any federal insurance option from the health care overhaul bills.
"Despite what the president or Congress say," the narrator tells us, "their health care proposals do not guarantee you can keep your own doctor." And there’s no guarantee you won’t "wait longer for care," face "rationing," or "lose your insurance," either, she says.
Why not?

September 9, 2009

There are an estimated 19 million students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities this fall. That’s a 41 percent increase from 20 years ago.

Source: Census Bureau

Obama’s Speech to Schools

Q: Did Obama change his back-to-school speech in response to pressure from conservatives?

A: One exercise in the accompanying lesson plan was reworded.

Senior Scare, Yet Again

The Democratic National Committee says in a TV ad that “Republicans voted to abolish Medicare.” Not true. The ad refers to a proposal endorsed by most House Republicans as part of the alternative budget they presented earlier this year. In fact, the GOP plan actually called for …

September 8, 2009

A total of 76 million people were enrolled in school — from nursery school to college — in the U.S. in October 2007. That’s 27 percent of the population age 3 and older.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

September 7, 2009

There are 154.6 million people, aged 16 or older, in the nation’s labor force (seasonally adjusted) as of August 2009, including 82.5 million men and 72 million women.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

September 6, 2009

On June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in honor of work. 
Source: The Department of Labor