Mark Twain once quoted a famous politician of his day who made the observation that: “There are are lies, damn lies, and statistics”. Presumably this meant that statistics can be the greatest lies of all. In this political season, we would be wise to observe some of the statistics being thrown around. The current administration proudly announced that the national unemployment rate is 5 percent, the lowest in years. However, the fact that over  90 million people have left the workforce makes that stated employment statistic grossly understated. The “Affordable Care Act” (aka “Obamacare”) supposedly would save the average family $2600 per year in medical care costs according to it’s proponents. We all are aware that the truth is dramatically different. Average medical costs have risen dramatically, not dropped. We are told that the Democrats are the party of the poor and the working class, but over the past 7 1/2 years, during a Democratic administration, the wealthiest Americans became wealthier, while the poor and middle class earned less and acquired more debt. No fudging of the figures can obscure that fact. I could list more questionable statistics, but you get the point. So, as we go to the polls this November we should be very careful to examine the claims made by the candidates. In addition, we also might consider another question: How do you know when a long time politician is lying to you? Answer: Their lips are moving………………..