Who's going to keep tabs on the self-appointed fact checkers at the state's largest newspaper? For example:
How much does deficit slayer Rep. Paul Ryan want to cut from the federal budget? Here in Ryan country, his cheerleaders at the Journal Sentinel more than double the actual number.
How do they do it? They inflate it by using the amount Ryan wants to cut from the amount of spending proposed for this year, rather than the amount actually passed by Congress. Note the difference between JS coverage and national newspapers which did not get fooled:
JS: Ryan eyes $74 billion in cuts during the current fiscal year
By Lee Bergquist of the Journal Sentinel
U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan proposed spending cuts on Thursday for the remainder of the current fiscal year totaling $74 billion.
NY Times: 32 Billion in Budget Cuts Proposed
WASHINGTON — After clamoring loudly about their plans to curtail federal spending, House Republicans announced Thursday that they would cut $32 billion for the remainder of the fiscal year — a minuscule amount compared with a projected annual deficit of nearly $1.5 trillion.
Washington Post: House Republicans propose $32 billion in budget cuts
House Republicans are vowing to make sharp cuts in government spending, but are struggling to decide which programs to ax.
By Lori Montgomery Washington Post Staff Writer
House Republicans pledged Thursday to slice more than $32 billion from agency budgets over the next few months