• Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent. She didn’t cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years.
  • She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a “What if?” question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin’s first term.
  • She was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She’s been registered as a Republican since May 1982.

  • Palin never endorsed or supported Pat Buchanan for president. She once wore a Buchanan button as a “courtesty” when he visited Wasilla, but shortly afterward she was appointed to co-chair of the campaign of Steve Forbes in the state.

  • Palin has not pushed for teaching creationism in Alaska’s schools. She has said that students should be allowed to “debate both sides” of the evolution question, but she also said creationism “doesn’t have to be part of the curriculum.”

A few of these claims were included in a chain e-mail by a woman named Anne Kilkenny. We’ll be looking into other charges in that e-mail for a future story. For more explanation of the bullet points above, please read the Analysis.

For detailed analysis please go to Snopes.com or FactCheck.org

The problem with putting out rumors and out and out lies is that it then takes a lot of searching and fact checking to find the truth. Unfortunately a lot of people don’t want to take the time and some still believe that everything they read in print is true. I want to learn the truth about all four of the candidates. John McCain and Joe Biden both have well established track records that have been well documented and are probably accurate if the source is reputable. Barack Obama and Sarah Palin are still newcomers to this scene and therefore it is easy to put out garbage about both of them. Putting out lies about both candidates only polarizes the parties more which then polarizes the nation even more. It’s also irresponsible and at my house you got your mouth washed out with soap for telling lies.