Editor,

It’s unfortunate that some people who submit letters don’t let facts get in the way of a juicy story. A good example is the letter submitted by Maryon Attwood that appeared in the June 14 edition of the Whidbey News-Times.

Attwood states that “military funding today accounts for well over 50 percent of the federal budget.”

Maryon is a bit off the mark as defense spending is actually 13 percent of the budget for 2014, a fact that anyone can verify on the website, www.usgovernmentspending.com

So, Maryon, if your statement was out of ignorance, that might be forgiven, but if it was a deliberate distortion, then shame on you.

Incidentally, for comparison, health care and welfare account for a combined total of 28 percent of the budget, which is more than twice that of defense spending.

David Howe

Greenbank