Q: In the farm bill, how much money goes to direct subsidies for farmers, what percentage goes to higher income farmers and how much is allotted for feeding the poor?
A: About $26 billion will be spent on direct payments to farmers over the next five years. We can't give a figure for exactly how much will go to "upper income" farmers, but the income limits are set quite high.
Seating Florida’s and Michigan’s Delegates
Q: What’s going on with Florida’s and Michigan’s delegates to the Democratic convention?
A: The DNC rules committee will meet May 31 to come up with a solution to seating the delegates.
Presidential Eligibility and the Line of Succession
Q: Can a person who is not constitutionally eligible for the office of president be in the line of succession?
A: Such a person can serve in an office that is in the line of succession, but he or she can't become president and would get skipped over if the presidency was vacated.
George W. Bush’s Presidential Vetoes
Q: Has President George W. Bush used his veto power more than most presidents?
A: No. Only 14 presidents have used their veto power fewer times than Bush, and only one president since the start of the 20th century has issued fewer vetoes.
Puerto Rico and the General Election
Q: Why does Puerto Rico participate in the presidential primary and not the general election?
A: The United States Constitution grants voting privileges in the general election to the states and the District of Columbia only, not to U.S. territories.
The Budget According to McCain: Part II
In our last installment we looked at McCain’s pronouncements on spending cuts to help balance the budget. In Part II, we examine what he’s said on a subject that might be more pleasing to many Americans: lowering taxes. We found exaggerations and distortions here, as well.
The Budget According to McCain: Part I
McCain’s big promise is that he can balance the budget while extending Bush’s tax cuts and adding a few of his own. He likes to leave the impression that this can be done painlessly, for example, by eliminating “wasteful” spending in the form of “earmarks” that lawmakers like to tuck into spending bills to finance home-state projects. We found that not only is this theory full of holes, it’s not even McCain’s actual plan. In this story we examine the spending-cut side of McCain’s budget program. In Part II, we’ll look at what McCain has said about taxes.
U.S. Oil Refining Capability
Q: Does the U.S. lack sufficient oil refining capabilities?
A: We have half as many refineries as we did in 1982, and they're not meeting demands. Regulations, practical challenges and economic factors all play a role.
Mudslinging in Mississippi
Accuracy apparently hasn’t been the top priority of the groups flinging ads onto the airwaves in Mississippi’s 1st congressional district, where voters will pick a new House member in a special election on Tuesday. Here’s what we found in this preview of the tone and types of tactics we might expect to see in other races later this year
The Democratic Congress Did All That?
Q: Did electing a Democratic Congress in 2006 really lead to increased unemployment, higher gas prices and more home foreclosures?
A: No, and most of the figures in a widely-circulated e-mail are made up. In fact, the entire premise of the e-mail is a logical fallacy.