South Harmon Institute of Technology

I figured out last night why our politics are so dysfunctional - nobody has a grip on the facts anymore. My father-in-law made two claims after dinner that I knew were ridiculous. First, he stated that the amount of federal tax revenue generated by individual income taxes was "tiny" compared to other sources of revenue. I nearly jumped out of my chair.

He knows I am right of center; I know he is left of center - so naturally we view each other's claims with suspicion. Here is reality:

Don't believe me? Look it up yourself. This FACT should be known by every voter.

Then he tries to tell me that "50% of all government spending is on the military." Now I happen to agree that we spend way too much on the military. But I also know that military spending is nowhere near 50% of the budget.

Here's another helpful chart:

Sixteen percent. No 50%. Big difference. If you don't know facts like this you really shouldn't be voting.

And why don't our politicians share facts like this? I think most people would like to know.