Paul Krugman calls out The Heritage Foundation as propaganda:

Whenever you encounter “research” from the Heritage Foundation, you always have to bear in mind that Heritage isn’t really a think tank; it’s a propaganda shop. Everything it says is automatically suspect.

This is so true! We have a host of organizations claiming to issue studies when they are really glorified marketing pieces with flawed data tables, absurd assumptions and some beyond comprehension bad mathematics.

But if one reads the "math" and the details usually one can locate the buried statistical flaws deep in the data. These organizations bank on Congress as well as your inability to add two numbers together to see their manipulated statistics.

With Krugman's call out, I am thinking we should list all of these evil doers, operating under the guise of think tanks, issuing completely bogus studies to justify whatever agenda they want, no matter how wrong that may be. These groups give the entire concept of analysis a bad name!

Many are allowed to testify before Congress and in one very obvious money talks, Bill Gates was given his very own hearing, with our representatives fawning over his brazen lies and demands.

Here are some candidates where they should be plain shut down, anything they have to write banned and discredited:

1. Thomas Friedman
2. McKinsey Institute
3. Heritage Foundation
4. National Foundation for American Policy (lobbyist of one, Stuart Anderson)
5. Compete America

These groups have been well documented to release completely biased reports. One might consider CATO institution. Unfortunately some of these groups, including Heritage occasionally generate research that has some merit.

What to do about the good that slips by in a pile of shit propaganda style reports?

Leave a comment and add your favorite biased think tank, promoting some special interest agenda.

What is your favorite example of a fictional white paper? Why?