Lawrence O’Donnell claim about GI Bill/welfare fueled No. 3 fact check of 2012

In a promotional spot for his MSNBC program, Lawrence O’Donnell spoke proudly of his father attending college on the post-World War II benefits package that transformed the nation. O’Donnell further said of the original GI Bill: “It’s the most successful educational program that we’ve ever had in this country — and the critics called it welfare.”
   
They did?

O’Donnell’s look-back had an element of truth in that some critics of the measure fretted that its unemployment compensation element would encourage laziness.

But historians said “welfare” was not invoked. We rated his claim Mostly False.

Readers–surely including those who cried foul–made this fact-check our No. 3 favorite of the year, based on online views.

See the full article and the ones that ranked fourth to tenth among faves to the right.

Our No. 2 reader favorite parks here tomorrow.