Recently U.S. Rep. Peter Defazio hosted a town hall meeting in Canyonville. DeFazio made the same claim over and over again: if the entire U.S. government were to stop operating except for Medicare, VA benefits, and Social Security Administration, the U.S. government would still run a deficit. A quick fact check shows this is not the case. I personally asked DeFazio’s office about this after the meeting and have followed up with an email, to which I have received no response. The U.S. government brings in about $2.6 trillion and the costs of those programs are about $1.5 trillion. His …