Election: Don't settle for superficial research

Re: “Wise voters do their own research,” (TNT letter, 9/15).

I agree voters should do their own research into candidates. Voters must also be aware of hidden bias in possible sources of information.

Ballotpedia.org, which is mentioned in the letter, is a prime example. Ballotpedia is run by the Lucy Burns Institute. Following the link to that institute, one finds that the Burns Institute is run by the Sam Adams Alliance. This is an organization founded and funded by the Koch brothers’ network of billionaires.

Their agenda is no unions, no minimum wage, no regulation of business. This means no EPA, no OSHA, no FDA, no Consumer Protection Bureau, no SEC, no regulation of banks, Wall Street investors or corporations.

Perhaps there are voters who would welcome guidance on whom to elect to carry out this agenda. Count me out.

Being an informed and responsible citizen and voter is not easy. It requires work and self-education; reading the news (not just the editorials) from several sources; reading books; not swallowing whole obviously biased commentary disguised as “news” whether from Fox or MSNBC.

If you care about your city, state and country, don’t be gullible and lazy. Don’t decide the future by which 30-second television ad has the most dramatic soundtrack.

This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Election: Don't settle for superficial research."