by Osman Parvez

Life is filled with decisions. Every day people literally make hundreds of them. Most decisions are small, like what to wear or have for breakfast. Some are more substantial, like whether to have formula or frappe.

Voting is a big decision that many people are making today. Last night I was talking with my friend Ellen about the candidates. Information on these people seems pretty limited and who really has the time to fully research each candidate, particularly for lower level positions? We ended up looking at the voting recommendations of the local Sierra Club chapter, knowing their interests are similar to our values. I may or may not vote the way the Sierra Club wants me to, but at least I know where they stand on the candidates.

So to help you with decisions you’ll make today (and beyond), here are Critical Thinking Mini-Lessons from the Skeptics Dictionary. Also worth your consideration is the blog Bad Analysis.

Finally, when you hear those outlandish attack ads, like the recent ones suggesting Democrats “want to pay social security benefits to illegal immigrants” or certain Republicans “are in the pockets of big oil and drug companies,” try visiting FactCheck.org for confirmation.

Image: Webel

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