So voters think they understand how elections work and take time to get to know the candidates before they vote? I have heard these statements quite a bit lately as the 2012 election cycle unfolds.

But is it true? From my experience, I have noticed a very naïve public that has deep-seated feelings about the candidates, as to who they want them to be, rather than knowing who they actually are.

History is an amazing factor, and unfortunately not many Americans take the time to learn the history concerning each candidate. It has become the responsibility of mainstream, prime-time media to educate the public.

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Is it logical to presume that these agencies do not have their own agenda? Are they not owned by corporate America? Are they not biased? Basing all of your research and insider information on a panel of talking heads can be a dangerous decision.

More importantly, I have yet to meet someone under the age of 60 who actually knows that unless they become involved at their local precinct caucus or primary, and attempt to become a delegate (or at least vote for the delegate who most expresses the views closest to them), their vote plainly does not count.

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Straw polls and beauty pageants are shown on mainstream media as actual votes that delegates are bound to. This is just not the case, and it is sad that the American people are so easily bamboozled.

For those who are just tuning in, I would like to offer a challenge. Take the candidate who is close to your heart because you knew his father, or you saw him speak one time, or you think he looks the most presidential, and spend some time attempting to research his actual record.

Don’t just sit down on the couch, turn on the television, and allow propaganda reels to fill your head. Read the information for yourself. Pull the actual voting records of your candidate. Access the Internet and the Library of Congress. Every candidate has a history. I challenge voters to learn it.

Jennifer York

Glenwood Springs

It’s nice to know teachers like Mark Browning will come “begging for the children” and not lose a minute’s sleep pocketing the money. Children’s education and teacher welfare are inseparable? Really?

Tell that to the taxpayers in Washington, D.C., where they spend more per pupil than anywhere in the country and rank at the bottom in student achievement.

As for the Glenwood Springs community, they voted against the union’s pay increase for teachers. It was the more gullible taxpayers in Carbondale and Basalt who put that $1,500 in Mr. Browning’s pocket.

A job that pays 12 months for less than eight months’ work and offers more insurance and benefits than most parents can afford sounds pretty cushy to me.

The union got every full-time instructor a big bonus, even those teachers at Glenwood Springs Elementary who presided over that pathetic 43 percent rating.

Tell me Mr. Browning, how do you promote excellence by rewarding failure?

Bruno Kirchenwitz

Rifle