Most Americans don’t want to pay higher taxes to bail out public employees and entitlements:
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Adults shows that only 19% would be willing to pay higher taxes to avoid layoffs of state employees. Sixty-nine percent (69%) say they would not be willing to pay more in taxes for this reason. Another 11% are undecided.
Adults feel similarly when it comes to funding entitlement programs. Twenty-two percent (22%) would pay higher taxes to prevent cuts in entitlement programs for low-income Americans. Sixty-three percent (63%) say they would not pay more to keep these programs afloat. Another 15% are undecided.
Americans are slightly less opposed to paying higher taxes for education. Thirty-four percent (34%) say they are willing to pay higher taxes to provide funding for public education, but 54% say they are not. Another 12% aren’t sure.
Of course, it’s already too late, since a large part of Porkulus went to exactly this, and at some point, we’ll have to pay for it (not to mention the interest on it). What I find the most interesting about this poll is that (unlike most Rasmussen polls) it’s of adults. I wonder what likely voters think?
This will be a potent campaign issue (among many) against Democrats this fall.
What a mess. I fear that with the Dems basically punting on a budget this year all of the hard choices will be deferred until after the election, meaning that the Republicans will be labeled as the heartless bastards who took food off of the tables of the poor, who caused thousands of noble policemen and firemen to lose their jobs, who sent thousands of selfless educators out onto the streets while class sizes swelled and student scores dropped yet again.
While I see some cracks appearing in the media coverage of the Annointed One, those cracks likely are due to a perception that Obama is not liberal enough. I can’t see the alphabets or NYT / Newsweek / Time rallying to a Republican-controlled legislative branch calling for fiscal discipline, nor do I see them chiding Obama for vetoing rollbacks of any legislation passed in these past two years.
And if the pachyderms do not absolutely hammer the donks on their willful negligence in not passing a budget this election cycle they won’t see one more centavo from moi, as I told one of their telefundraisers last night. Playing nice when the other guy is out to take off your head and cr@p down your neck is beyond stupid.
jsallison, they fear that if they show any spine, Thusa Doom (formerly junior US Senator, D-IL) will transfix them with his mesmerizing gaze while he cuts their heads off.
>== The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey
> of Adults shows that only 19% would be willing to pay
> higher taxes to avoid layoffs of state employees. Sixty-nine
> percent (69%) say they would not be willing to pay more in
> taxes for this reason. Another 11% are undecided.==
Why should it mater to government what a bunch of uppity serfs says in a poll?
;/