CNN:
A quarter century after the Reagan revolution and a dozen years after Republicans vaulted into control of Congress, a new CNN poll finds most Americans still agree with the bedrock conservative premise that, as the Gipper put it, “government is not the answer to our problems — government is the problem.”
The poll released Friday also showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans perceive, correctly, that the size and cost of government have gone up in the past four years, when Republicans have had a grip on the House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House.
Discretionary spending grew from $649 billion in fiscal year 2001 to $968 billion in fiscal year 2005, an increase of $319 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Queried about their views on the role of government, 54 percent of the 1,013 adults polled said they thought it was trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. Only 37 percent said they thought the government should do more to solve the country’s problems.
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Is it any wonder so few people bother to vote? Politicians and the media seem to think that Americans are apathetic. Is it just possible that choosing not to vote to give power to one of two equally loathsome choices is simply a vote for liberty?
This is off topic but here is an article on bbc that talks about “market failure” in relation to climate change. It quotes Sir Nicholas Stern.
And here is the link that should have been in the above post.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6096594.stm
It’s an irrelevant poll. It sampled “American adults”, not registered voters, not likely voters. Seniors, for example, vote in numbers far higher than their percentage of the population, and tend to favor government giveaway programs.
Those who vote usually do so for a reason. As a result, their interests will be catered to, which often include bigger government.
I’m really suprised that Ron Paul can get away with getting re-electe every year promising to do absolutely nothing in congress.
Of course, the problem is that when you query the American people about what to cut, they are reluctant to cut those things they benefit from. Unfortunately, politicians have been very good at making a majority of us dependent on the government. We have been corrupted.
The people have learned that they can vote themselves money. The old people always vote. The young people seldom vote. The NEA + the AARP can swing any election. Half the economy is under the table. Nothing is going to change by intentional legislation.
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