Misinformation does disservice to vote process

Nineteenth century British statesman Benjamin Disraeli once observed about truth and the process of arriving at it that &#8220There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” There is, perhaps, no better illustration of this than the stream of often-conflicting information that attends political campaigns.

On Tuesday, Valley voters will have the opportunity to go to the polls to weigh in on a bond issue for new schools and upgrades to existing ones. A simple and straightforward question such as this would seem to be exempt from the taint of Disraeli's observation. Yet that has not proven to be the case.

In the days and weeks leading up to Tuesday's special election, several stakeholders in the school-bond debate have requested space on this newspaper's Opinion page to &#8220set the record straight” about the &#8220facts” of the issue. Not surprisingly, each submission was met with rebuttals offering someone else's version of the &#8220truth.”

Difference of opinion, often based on the same set of statistical information, is not uncommon. Through civil debate, a cornerstone of the policy-making process we are privileged to facilitate in these pages, those differences often lead to sound policy decisions that work for the benefit of all.

When attempts are made to irresponsibly manipulate the debate, the process does not always culminate with good policy. Such is the case with a recent flyer circulated by the Mat-Su Property Owners Association, which cynically takes advantage of the debate's 11th hour by twisting, spinning and distorting statistics that may not get sufficiently corrected in time for voters to go to the polls as well-equipped informationally as they can be. (See story page A1.)

While we respect the right of the MSPOA to take a position on the election, and respect the organization as a legitimate voice of overburdened taxpayers, we do not condone this sort of tactic, and urge voters not to be swayed by it. As suspect as the fine print of the group's flyer is, the bigger message it contains is long on short-term appeal to the bottom line, but remarkably short on long-term vision for the property owners for whom the group claims to be speaking.

This likely comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with the group and its members. Even as the MSPOA flyer rails against the borough's profligate spending and unwillingness to abide by the will of voters, MSPOA chair Link Fannon is costing borough taxpayers untold dollars with a legal challenge to a borough assembly-approved and voter-endorsed tobacco tax that enabled a decrease in the borough's mill rate.

&#8220Lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Disraeli's words have stood the test of time.

As voters sift through the informational detritus accumulating around Tuesday's election, and try to make sense of what the vote means to them, we hope they also will bear in mind another Disraeli dictum: &#8220Ignorance never settles a question.”

What sort of value is anyone's property going to have, after all, if our educational infrastructure is not sturdy enough to support the kind of economic growth the Valley will need going forward?