Your July 30, 2008, editorial, “Schools turning out defective products,” certainly addresses an important issue that your readers should consider. But they deserve the whole story.

The Mackinac Center, which is located here in Michigan, together with the Pacific Research Institute, are members of the State Policy Network, a nation-wide association of “think tanks” established to advance corporate interests, which invariably includes lessening union influence.

In Michigan that means trashing the public schools. The Mackinac Center, the largest state-based conservative think tank, was founded by Republican politicians, is run by Republican business people and is funded by Republican activists, conservative foundations and corporations. As a result, its research routinely reaches conservative conclusions.

Of course you can’t include this background every time you source their material. But the way you describe MC or PRI could go a long way toward clueing your readers. “Anti-union” springs to mind. Or labels related to the position these organizations take: “pro-privatization” or “right to work advocates,” etc.

Your readers can’t intelligently read anything the MC or PRI writes without keeping these facts in mind.

Greg Steimel

Research Consultant

Michigan Education Association

East Lansing, MI