Fact+Check

While no one can disagree that the economy is troublesome and many people are suffering from this downturn, there’s no absolute consensus as to how to solve all our problems or even what’s caused them. Obama says the free market has failed and was too unregulated. . . “anything goes.” Others have pointed to too much government interference in the markets, requiring lenders to make loans to those who would otherwise have been bad risks. Is changing tax policy going to change anything for the better? A thousand dollars in middle class hands might stimulate consumer spending, but it could also take money from small businesses that could lead to layoffs or other cutbacks. Finally, can we say on our own that the Iraq War is over, or does Al Qaida in Iraq have a role too? It’s debatable, at least.