With news coming at us twenty-four hours a day, from television, radio, blogs, emails and -- at least until they become obsolete -- newspapers, it is difficult to sort through the piles of information and find the things that really matter: the facts. Fortunately, there is FactCheck.org to make the process easier.

FactCheck.org is an invaluable tool. If checking it every day became as commonplace as covering your mouth when you sneeze, the whole country would be better off. FactCheck.org is subtitled "Holding Politicians Accountable," and its goal is to ensure that people can get the straight facts about the news and issues that affect us all. It’s the real "no-spin zone."

FactCheck.org achieves its goal with a variety of features. The web site contains posts about current news items, offers special reports on issues, and includes a Fact of the Day, but its most useful feature is the section called Ask FactCheck. Imagine that you’ve just received one of those emails -- you know the kind I mean -- the kind filled with vitriol and evil disguised as facts. But are those scary declarations really true? Usually, they are not, and Ask FactCheck will tell you so in no uncertain terms.

On the day this article was written, Ask FactCheck’s question of the day was "Do immigrants and refugees get more in benefits than a retired U.S. citizen gets in Social Security?" The answer began with the sentence "This is nonsense." and proceeded to explain why, in easily understandable language. Ask FactCheck also includes a Frequently Asked Questions section, so users can check up on all of the dubious claims they have heard from their elected representatives, as well as from their relatives and coworkers.

FactCheck.org offers a feed and email alerts about updates to the site. Both are good ways to keep your head above the swirling waters of misinformation and disinformation that surround us. The web site is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and it is not a partisan organization. FactCheck.org tells it like it is, whether the purveyor of untruths is a Democrat, a Republican, or the President of the United States.

As Thomas Jefferson said, "Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government." Too often these days, the ill-informed follow leaders who base their governing on lies. FactCheck.org can make everyone well-informed. Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a country where we could stop arguing about what is true, and get on with the business of governing ourselves?