User:Kjkolb/Think tanks

I do not think that think tanks should be used as a reference on Wikipedia. In my experience, almost all well known think tanks are either strongly conservative or liberal, with the conservative think tanks seemingly being far more numerous. Even those think tanks that claim to be non-partisan usually have serious problems, either because they are lying to appear more credible or because they were founded upon a cause or specific world view. For example, a think tank could have as its purpose the promotion of extreme capitalism (no regulation of businesses whatsoever), socialism, anti-abortion, pro-nuclear power, anti-environmentalism and so on. Finally, some think tanks are actually just trade associations for industries, such as oil, nuclear energy or automotive manufacturers. While they may have people doing "research", the purpose is always to make the industry look good.

It is a common mistake to believe that a person is incapable of remaining objective because he or she has certain beliefs and/or is employed by a certain company or type of company. However, the people employed by think tanks are often fanatical about their beliefs and are incapable of being objective. Also, beliefs and money can cause problems even when the person is truly trying to remain objective. Finally, since think tanks hire people on the basis of their beliefs, put them together with people who have similar views, will not fund research that may go against their interests and will not publish reports with conclusions that would be harmful to their interests, those who work for think tanks have no chance to be neutral. For example, a think tank that is heavily supported by the coal industry would be unlikely to fund a study that looks for the effects of coal power plants on nearby residents, unless they already know the results would be favorable for the industry, whether by manipulation or for other reasons.

As a result, in my opinion, the material put out by think tanks is worse than useless because it actually causes harm. People gobble up the material that think tanks put out (magazines, pamphlets, articles, press releases and websites), especially when it is consistent with their preexisting beliefs. This incorrect information causes people to make poor decisions. This is particularly harmful when it comes to politicians, business executives, philanthropists and other people with power.