PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

Myths and facts are almost interchangeable in the political campaign being run by one Donald Trump.

He never lets facts get in the way of his wild, off-the-wall proclamations.

He appears not to have a care in the world about whom he criticizes or defames as he runs what can only be described as a despicable campaign for the Republican nomination for president. In some ways, unfortunately, he is changing politics in this country, with little focus on public policy issues and extreme focus on vindictive rhetoric.

For him, the end – whatever end he wants that benefits himself – justifies the extremes of his talk. Many in the media appear to be buying into it, focusing on the horse race and the sound bite rather than injecting an appropriate level of journalistic skepticism into the coverage.

The Wall Street Journal, long a leader in espousing a conservative point of view, is different from the norm, preferring to limit the so-called “news” coverage of Trump’s extreme statements and to focus, instead, on opinions of his campaign.

Using the Wall Street Journal as a main resource, I am focusing here on some of the Trump-uttered myths and the true facts.

MYTH #1: Trump has trumpeted that throwing out all immigrants and building a wall between the United States and Mexico would solve all of the country’s problems.

FACT: Deporting an estimated 11 million immigrants and building a border wall would cost an estimated $935 billion over two decades. Plus, families in this country would be torn apart, taking children from their parents and trashing the reality of the United States as a place that welcomes immigrants. As described this week by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in her Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union address, “no one who works hard and follows the laws of this country should ever feel unwelcome in this country.”

MYTH #2: Trump has praised North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as a credible leader by saying, “you’ve got to give him credit. He goes in, he takes over, he is the boss. It’s incredible. He wiped out the uncle, he wiped out this one, that one.”

FACT: Kim Jong-un is a dictator who kills people, including his own family member, to get his way.

MYTH #3: Trump has said Russian leader Vladimir Putin is a credible leader, “a very bright and talented man.” And he crows about being complimented by the Russian leader.

FACT: Putin is a ruthless leader who kills opponents, including journalists, to get his way.

MYTH#4: Trump has said he would make deep cuts in personal and corporate income taxes.

FACT: To a conservative, that may sound good on the surface, but the reality is different. What he proposes would reduce revenue by almost $12 trillion over the next decade, which would more than double the national debt. Of course, these revenue losses could be offset by cutting federal budgets, but Trump has not provided even scant information on how he would go about doing that.

At best, as Wall Street Journal columnist William Galston has written, “Mr. Trump is guilty of disregarding prudence, decency and facts.”

Trump hopes we will do the same.

I won’t.