Letter: Blogs should be taken with a grain of salt

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 | 7:12 a.m.

The recent bloggers convention in Las Vegas has me concerned. I have worked in the Washington, D.C., offices of two senators (Richard Bryan and Carl Levin), one congressman (John Conyers) and two presidential campaigns (Clinton-Gore 1996 and Kerry-Edwards 2004), among others. Even so, I feel I have a limited knowledge of the realities and complexities of today's politics. That's why the explosive blog movement worries me.

Most of these bloggers have no political work experience or background whatsoever. Admittedly, they are expressing their personal political views, and some were even quoted at the convention as saying they had no interest in meeting the politicians who attended. Personal views are fine among friends, but these blogs now have millions of readers who are accepting these views as fact! I call it the lazy person's way of becoming politically informed.

How many of these bloggers actually listen to the sessions in the Senate and House and their committee meetings on C-SPAN? (I think these telecasts should be viewed and discussed in a government class that all high school students should be required to take so they will graduate with a small understanding of how our government actually operates.)

How many bloggers know that senators and House members and their staffs meet with numerous experts in their field and read thousands of documents before voicing one opinion or casting one vote? "A little learning is a dangerous thing." That is why blogs should never be the total panacea for an American to make an informed decision in the voting booth.

Gail Munford, Las Vegas