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How true are Obama's claims about the economy?
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In Tuesday's State of the Union address, Obama boasted great economic progress. We've looked at various sources checking his facts. - photo by Sam Turner
In President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address Tuesday, he made some bold claims about the economy.

"The United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world," said Obama. "Anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction."

Obama was able to cite several figures that represent an upturn in our economy. Fact-checkers went to work and published their findings on the Internet within hours.

Here is what they found:

Health care

Obama said that nearly 18 million people have gained coverage due to the Affordable Care Act. That is true. But the president's claim that the ACA is responsible for the slow inflation of health care costs is suspect.

According to USA Today, the low rates of growth are more likely "a reflection of the sluggish economy" and that the ACA has had a "minimal impact."

The governments most recent projections estimate the ACA costs $506 billion from the current to the 2019 fiscal year.

The White House also reports, however, that the ACA implements cost-curbing measures and eliminates waste, reducing the deficit by a projected $1 trillion over the next 20 years.

Already some of these savings can be seen. For example, U.S. News reports that in 2014, hospitals saved $7.4 billion on uncompensated care costs because of the ACA.

Employment

The president highlighted an "unemployment rate cut in half." USA Today noted this is only true if "measured from the worst point of his presidency," the rate of 10 percent in 2009. After this spike in unemployment during Obama's first year in office, the rate has eventually reached 5 percent as recorded in December 2015.

According to USA Today, Obama also overstated his achievements stating that in the last six years we have seen 900,000 new jobs in manufacturing. The national newspaper said during Obama's eight years as president, the number of manufacturing jobs has actually had a net decrease of 230,000.

There are still almost 8 million jobless Americans as recorded in December 2015, a large portion of which are recent college graduates. According to Newsweek, the millennial generation makes up 40 percent of America's unemployed.

The president did recognize this problem, stating that "a great education isn't all we need in this new economy." Obama hopes that strengthening Social Security and Medicaid will help Americans to navigate career mobility and periods of unemployment.

Defense spending

Obama's comments served to pacify paranoia over weakened defenses and persuade Americans to a Democrat position of conservative military spending.

During his presidency, Obama has tried to cut back on military spending and vetoed a $612 defense bill in October 2015. Many of those seeking the Republican 2016 presidential nomination have listed increased military as one of their top priorities.

Obama denied having "diminished American strength" and reminded Americans that the United States spends "more on our military than the next eight nations combined," and that claim was found to be "mostly true" by Politifact.

Budget deficit

Obama claims that his administration "cut our deficits by almost three-quarters."

USA Today and Politifact confirmed this claim is essentially true.

Politifact explained, however, that the decrease in deficits is partly made possible by a massive increase in deficits in FY2009. In other words, the administration's spending at the beginning of his presidency, including stimulus packages to help resuscitate the failing economy, has largely distorted the decrease he reported.

Princeton economics professor Harvey Rosen told Politifact that the government will not be able to keep the deficits stable. Programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security would have to undergo "substantial reform," he says.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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