Taking public opinion polls is both difficult and demanding. Unless the pollster is being paid to prove a point, as in product approval or sectarian politics; the combination of purpose, honesty, neutrality and non-ambiguity is more than a little frustrating.
Then when the questionnaire is finished, there is the problem of designing a fair and even survey population that reflects the total population the poll is modeling. The vast majority of pollsters do a pretty good job. Yes, there is a small error possibility, but the result is usually in the middle. And yes, the result is pretty darned accurate and far more timely than opinions during past elections. Given the timeliness and the fact that our government representatives are supposed to represent the now views of their constituents and not their own views, I think Americans have a sound basis for feeling they are not being properly represented.
From recent, accredited polls, Americans are most concerned by the economy ? to improve it as soon as possible. There is the need to reduce unemployment and create more jobs as quickly as possible. And then there”s wars ? let”s get out and save the expense.
On the other hand, indiscriminate non-spending, deficits and saving the world are not all that important. A growing percentage of the people are beginning to realize that there are spending levels below, which results in more harm than good for the state and comfort of the country.
Education is an example. People are increasingly feeling that the country needs increased income to improve the economy and that the very rich do not pay their share. The wealthy top 1 percent now get 20 percent of the income. It does not set very well with those whose income is close to the country median, $53,000 per year.
For them, it is hard to imagine an income of $500,000 and harder to justify. In Ronald Reagan”s time the 1 percent only got 10 percent. If you already have everything, you don”t need to buy more.
Improving the economy and lowering unemployment have a timeliness factor a lot of people don”t want to recognize.
Most companies now have enough cash or access to grow. Without increased demand what”s the use? Only with increased demand for goods, the result of more and better jobs, will the situation get better. This country spends a massive amount of funding on welfare and unemployment and gets pretty much nothing in tangible return even while our infrastructure goes downhill. The problem is that a lot of people think that something like the WPA and the CCC 70 or so years ago are so socialist. Such things would do a good short-term job of getting a lot of people back to work so they could buy things and increase demand.
Although the new Congress was elected in hopes it might improve the nation”s situation, job creation and improving the economy seems to have been subverted to making sure things don”t improve so that the next elections can be influenced, even at the degradation of our country.
There are many pending bills in the House that would create jobs, but they are held up because they amount to spending. When the minority head of the Senate says that the goal is to make Obama a one-term President and the House Leader, when questioned in March about the spending cuts he was pushing that would cost 250,000 jobs, replied, “so be it.” One wonders whether the people are being well-served, according to their wishes.
Let”s face it, whether national or personal, any kind of healthcare costs a whole lot if it is to get us well in minimum time.
Mary Ann and Guthrie Worth
Lakeport
