Truth-O-Meter rules on Democrat claims

Claims by Democrats did well this weekend on the Truth-O-Meter.

In case you missed it, Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Camden) and state Sen. Richard “Dick” Codey (D-Essex) earned ratings of True and Mostly True, respectively, for statements they made about income tax cuts and pension payments.

Greenwald claim

After Gov. Chris Christie proposed an across-the-board 10 percent income tax cut in his recent State of the State address, Greenwald said in a news release the cut wouldn’t save enough money for a middle-class family to buy a week’s worth of groceries but millionaires would save enough to take an exotic vacation. PolitiFact New Jersey found that the proposed cut would mean an $80 savings for a middle-class family but more than $7,000 for millionaires. During a radio interview, the governor explained the savings disparity, noting that those who pay more in taxes would reap a larger tax cut savings.

Codey claim

During a recent radio interview, Codey stated that when he was governor from November 2004 to January 2006, he made the pension payment into the state’s retirement system. The Truth-O-Meter gave him a Mostly True because “the payment” implies the entire amount was paid. Codey is correct that money went into the pension accounts, but not the entire amount due: $1.45 billion. Codey made a partial payment, $164 million. “The” payment is not the same thing as “a” payment.

What’s ahead

In coming weeks we will introduce a free email newsletter for readers to learn more about claims that we’re working on and what’s ahead, as well as spotlighting reader feedback. If you’re interested in receiving the newsletter, submitting an idea for a possible fact-check or having PolitiFact New Jersey do a presentation for your organization or school, drop a note to PolitiFact New Jersey Editor Caryn Shinske at cshinske@starledger.com. You can also follow us on Twitter @PolitiFactNJ or find us on Facebook.