Editor:

Where are some of you letter-writers getting their "facts"? Two articles come to mind: "Know the truth about CO2" by Paul J. Van Hise (Sept. 27), and "Integrity doesn't mean blindly following" by Luke Hucke (Sept. 27).

Van Hise stated that Dustin Bleizeffer's column perpetuated the "lie that CO2 is the main greenhouse gas contributing to global warming." The EPA states: "Many greenhouse gases, like water vapor and carbon dioxide, (CO2), occur naturally. Fuel burning and other human activities are adding large amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases to the natural mix at a faster rate than at any other time on record." Also, "Since 1750, atmospheric concentrations of CO2, CH4 (methane) and N2O (nitrous oxide) have increased by over 36 percent, 148 percent and 18 percent, respectively. Scientists have concluded that this is due primarily to human activity."

The EPA adds that most of our greenhouse gas emissions occur in the form of carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels. You can read the full article, "Climate Change," at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/fq/emissions.html.

Hucke stated, "He (Obama) has created more debt than the previous 43 presidents combined" (emphasis added). As of Sept. 30, 2008 (when Bush was still president and prior to his Wall Street bailout of $800 billion in November of '08), the national debt stood at $10,024,724,896,912.49 (source: www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt.htm). Yes, 2009 will show a deficit of $1.6 trillion (Congressional Budget Office Summary, www.cbo.gov). However, one must realize that the "bills are coming due" -- many still from Bush-era bailouts and expenses from two wars (not of Obama's making). As a matter of fact, all presidents have incurred some debt especially since WWII. Check out the "National Debt Graph: National Debt as a Percent of Gross Domestic Product" (source http://zfacts.com/p/318.html). You'll see that during WWII, the debt was 120 percent of the GDP!

I hope that future letter-writers will give us some sources for their "facts." Credible sources are government Web sites, www.factcheck.org, www.snopes.com., Wyoming Public Radio and Wyoming Public TV. Unreliable sources are commentators who often espouse their own biased beliefs, right-wing and left-wing talk radio hosts, and often Fox News.

JEANNE LESKE, Casper