Policy group is nonpartisan

We appreciate the Deseret Morning News article on our scorecard "Middle Class 2004: How Congress Voted." However, Sen. Bob Bennett and the legislators quoted misrepresent our effort.

The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is a nonpartisan organization. Our scorecard grades legislators on how well they support the middle class, not how liberal or conservative they may be. When Bennett voted to allow thousands of hardworking Utahns to be stripped of their right to be paid for the overtime hours they work, it wasn't a liberal or conservative vote, just one that hurt the middle class.

When Rep. Rob Bishop voted to reject an amendment that would hinder Congress from spending or giving away more money than it had, his vote was neither fiscally conservative nor good for the middle class.

Andrea Batista Schlesinger

executive director

Drum Major Institute for Public Policy

New York