Noted American author and raconteur Mark Twain was fond of saying that there were three types of lies, the worst of the three being statistics. It seems clear that this “worst” category would apply to the recent article headed “Merging UNG saved 1.1 percent of budget” according to a Times lead story (March 16). The figures cited in most of this story are surely far from “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” as is the standard required in the typical oath taken by those who testify in court.