Voters must work to be informed

Heading in to the 2008 presidential election, it is critical we begin to fight through the barrage of one-sided information and perspective from the traditional news sources.

I'm not suggesting that everything you hear on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, CBS, ABC, NPR, PBS, and CNN is worthless, and that all you need is Fox News.

But to get the fuller picture of what is actually being said by the candidates, you are going to have to work a little harder than taking in the three minutes of Anderson Cooper you flip to during commercial breaks of "Hogan Knows Best."

The candidates are talking, and we need to listen.

Common themes for each of the six leading Democratic candidates: Increased centralization of power in the hands of the federal government, higher taxes, reduction in military strength and intelligence gathering capabilities (the kind that have prevented 19 terrorist attacks since 2001), harping on the divide between rich vs. poor, promises of entitlements for baby boomers, and an immediate withdrawal from Iraq where violence is down 75 percent since April. Any takers?

Far too often we refrain from voting for particular candidates for reasons that are far less important than the ones that should guide us in our decisions: Our values. No candidate is perfect, just as no party is perfect. So what are we to do?

Listen with your own ears, vote with your own values, and I promise you'll be surprised to find out how conservative most of still truly are.

Robby Moeller

Arlington Heights