Washington (CNN) – Americans are more concerned with lowering the massive budget deficit than boosting the ailing economy, according to a new national poll.
Fifty-six percent of people questioned in a CNBC survey released Friday morning say President Barack Obama and Congress should worrry more about keeping the budget deficit down even if that means delaying the economic recovery. That's 23 points higher than the 33 percent who feel boosting the economy should be the top priority, even if that means larger deficits now and in the future.
The poll also indicates that by a 54 percent to 33 percent margin, Americans prefer using the estimated $200 billion in leftover TARP funds for deficit reduction rather than for more stimulus spending.
TARP, or the Troubled Asset Relief Program, was created last year by the Bush administration to bail out American banks, financial institutions and auto makers that were in danger of collapsing in the recession. Earlier this week, Obama outlined a new proposal to boost jobs and give more help to consumers and small businesses, and possibly pay for such a plan with unused bailout funds. Congressional Republicans object to such a move.
A CNN survey conducted last month indicated that two-thirds of the public thinks the government should not run a deficit, even when the country's in a recession and at war.
"Only 30 percent say it's OK for the government to run a deficit in a time of war and economic turmoil," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Even among Democrats, 59 percent don't like the idea of federal deficits."
The CNBC poll was conducted December 1-3, with 808 adults questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is 3.5 percentage points.
–CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this story
From CNN Politics
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And there's not the slightest chance the Dems in Congress will pay the slightest attention to this, or to anything else the American people want. After all, they're smarter than we are, and know better what we ought to want, even if we're not bright enough to realise it.
In that regard, the Dems are a lot like modern Republicans. The only difference is that the Reps, instead of being smarter than we are, are more moral than we are and just know their superior morality gives them the right to tell us how to live our lives.
Bah! A plague on both their Houses! And their Senates too!
I agree that the left over TARP monies should be used to pay down the debt. My only problem is that the GOP seems to be leading this effort. They did not care at all about the cost of these two wars and how their policies ran up our debt. President Clinton had the economy in very good standing when he left office and President Bush sent it in the toilet. Where were these GOP leaders then?
I think the people who put paying down the deficit before the economic recovery are people who actually have a job, or at least a good bit of savings for the future.
This cracks me up! $5 Trillion in surplus now $10 Trillion in debt. That means the GOP took us down $15 Trillion dollars. They had to spend the surplus and then continue putting us in debt. And they are the ones complaining about deficit spending.
Then they don't want to regulate – the very reason we are in this problem is because of no oversight, no regulation.
Thanks GOP for farting in the room, walking away, and blaming someone else for the smell!!
What? The majority of America doesn't agree with Obama's tax and spend policy?
No matter, Obama will ignore you and bet on your ignorance.
Everywhere... In any division there always politics... There always someone graving foa a position that makes them selfis and liers... And sometimes there are ready to destroy someone's life just to get what they want.... Lets just live simple... Keep dreaming but be contetnted in what we have.... Simple life means no complication and less stress...
That's a crock, totally.
If there are more jobs, more revenue (taxes) go to paying down the deficit.
If there are NO MORE jobs, the wealthy keep their money and the poor DIE - the Greedy Old Obstructionists are our DEATH PANEL.
Wake up America.
...and the Dems are trying to rush a law in allowing the fed debt to rise even higher before year's end...this way they hope the American people forget about it before next election...bunch of cons that ARE responsible for the current economy...repubs (and Greenspan) asked for investigations back in 2004 and 2006 into Fannie Mae practices and accounting (lorded over by Frank and Dodd)...the collapse there triggereed what happened on Wall Street...but since Dems are in power they keep this quiet...smokescreens and investigations evedrywhere else but inside their own house.
CNBC are you kidding. I would never trust a liberal stations polling.
DC could take all the TARP monies, bailout monies, tax receipts etc. and it will still not be enough to balance the budget. They have found that they can vote themselves the key to the cash cauffer's and it is done until this Administration exits.
Question: What is the difference between Jimmy Carter and Obama? Answer: Very little....
Inflation 3rd qtr 2010.....
Where were all these poeple when Bush was running up never seen before deficits while cutting taxes through reconciliation (51 votes in 01 and 53 votes in 03) for the top 2%.
Gold up 300% under Bush and we lost 50% of the dollars value against a socalist EURO from 2001 to 2008.
obama saw the polls and decided to jump in bed with wall street and health insurers.
The point that is missed is that people are more savvy than people in Washington give them credit for and know massive Government spending won't do anything to "boost" the economy.
I'm sure the people polled were employed, there is no way unemployed people with employment benefits running out and families that are in a financial crisis want the economy boosted which means jobs. Boosting the economy, people getting jobs does and will boost the economy.
See, the economy must not be so bad if people don't care about job creation. I wonder how many would change their mind if the government stopped writing them unemployment checks....then the deficit spending wouldn't be so bad.
America: Land of the free, home of the uneducated. It's a self evident truth that this poll shows most failed Econ 101.
Pay attention folks, it's this simple:
To pay down deficits you need tax revenues.
To get tax revenues people need to be working.
Analysis:
Let the government facilitate job creation THEN worry about paying down the debt.
The real life example is buying a house (before the bubble) – You have to go into debt before you can start building equity.
Now, what's so hard to understand? It's JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!
Ignore the obstructionist rethugs and blue dogs bleating and braying – lets put America to work the debt will take care of itself.
I tend to think they go hand in hand and should be both tackled simultaneously........
We hope somebody from the Dems pay heed to this poll opinion, rather than pooh pooh it. The GOP, and maybe some economists seem to concur w/ deficit reduction rather than profligate spending.
Obama could "boost" jobs by spending $787 billion, what makes anyone think he can create jobs spending $200 billion more?
Of course you pay down the deficit. They spent 3-4 trillion in the first year....this stuff doesn't grow on tree.
I am fiscally conservative in my own life and I have been concerned about our deficit for many years. I can understand the opinion that we should be focused on cutting the deficit and not worrying about the economy. My concern is that our economy is still so fragile with the unemployment numbers where they are that failure to focus on our economy could be worse for the deficit in both the short and long term. If we fall back into a recession, as many are predicting will happen, the deficit will grow even larger rather than shrinking as some are hoping. That frightens me even more than spending returned or unused TARP money on stimulating job growth for small businesses.
Yes that is right and Obama and the libertards still don't get it. They never did and that is why they are going down in 2010 and 2012. CNN and the rest of the state run media never got it either, that's why there ratings are so low. Instead all of the state run media and libertard politicians called us names and demeaned us, which has only infuriated us more.
Clearly the Obama, Harry and Nancy show are not interested in what the American people want..
This poll proves one thing: 56% of the 808 adults who responded to this survey don't know squat about economics and what it takes to keep a country and it's populace going. It would be great to have no deficit, but unfortunately we aren't there yet! The Republicans ran through the surplus left by the Clinton administration and put us in such bad financial shape that we are in the worse recession since the Great Depression. We must spend money to stimulate the economy or we will never get out of it!
Because Americans know that getting rid of the debt is one of the best ways to imrpove the economy.
I just wish the politicians would figure that out.
It's a recession when you read in the paper that people have lost their jobs, can't find work and are losing their homes and foregoing medical care and even food. It's a depression when you lose YOUR job and...well, I think it's a safe assumption that the 54% who don't think the government should have staved off massive bank failures or should be stimulating the job market aren't missing any meals.
Doesn't boostering the economy automatically lower the deficit? Giving people more purchasing power has to be good for all concerned. Or am I crazy?
I wonder who these people are that they polled.I can not imagine anyone who does not have a job let alone Health Insurance to say they are more concerned with our nation debt all of sudden , rather than having a job.. Wonder where are this concern was for the last 8 years ?..And I guess they don't realize that in order to bring down the national debt, we have to control Health insurance costs , which is the main issue driving up our debt, let alone the 2 wars we are in which the prev WH choose not to include in the budget ????So I believe Pres Obama has our priorities straight, so lets all get on board !!
Wait a minute...TARP was a loan to banks (and auto) which was supposed to be paid back. It was never part of the deficit. In fact, the government makes money on it, since the banks are paying it back with fees and interest. Now they want to take that money to pay off a deficit? Or worse, use the TARP money for another meaningless stimulus? Isn't that like taking a cash advance from your credit card to make the monthly payment?
The people have spoken! But do the Democrats listen? Appears they have all gone deaf. Full speed ahead and over the financial cliff appears to be their answer to the American people.
Bye bye in 2010 if you continue ignoring the voters!
This drives me nuts. So let me explain it to everyone....
A deficit, when applied to our DEBT, raises the amount of money we owe to other countries that we borrow from.
A surplus, when applied to our DEBT, lowers the amount of money we owe to other countries that we borrow from.
If you reduce the DEFICIT, you are NOT reducing the DEBT. You are still adding onto the DEBT.
So forget about reducing the DEFICIT. Focus on reducing the DEBT!
With the administration's philosophy and purpose to undo all things capitalist, neither will happen,
The headline of this story is misleading: that somehow people are opposed to "boosting the economy." As the story points out, the people oppose the expenditure of more "stimulus" money. It is rightfully perceived by most that "stimulus" money is nothing more than political handouts to the usual suspects – unions and Wall Street. These groups represent maybe 5% of the population. The rest of us in the non-union private sector pay the bill and see no benefit.
It would be interesting to know how people responded whether they or someone in their family was unemployed.
The business line in my big-4 office has gone from 15 FTE to 0. Most of us, myself included, did quite well. However, we had 4-5 people that were out of work anywhere from 4 to 10 months (layoffs mostly happened late 2008).
The ones who weren't the lucky ones would probably say that jobs was the more important.
I agree we need to lower our debt but we must also make it clear to businesses that they have been given a second chance. We should make clear to them also that they should not expect me to have to fund another bail out of their business after they buck regulation attempts to deter or prevent them from getting themselves in the same position again. In fact it was their shady dealings and greed that got them into this mess they put us in so it makes no difference if they buck the system or not. I will not fund another bailout when they screw the pooch again. They are paying off TAPR money fast so they can go back to their old ways of high and excessive bonuses and have not learned their lessons. Well the American public has learned a lesson and that is that big business cares nothing for the people. Big business just views us as a source of funding. Well the well has run dry.
How about a poll to find out the percentage of Americans that are sick of daily polls?
The very fact that ANYONE would think this way is scary as hell.
With the first stimulus the dems proved they can not be trusted to spend money wisely. Only a third of that money has been (spent) wasted. Now they are anxious to do more spending to "save us". You only need to look and see some of the ridiculous things the stimulus money has been used for to know we are being hosed. Right here in our district they created jobs for six weeks in duration and spent incredible sums to do it.
Especially regarding "Only 30 percent say it's OK for the government to run a deficit in a time of war and economic turmoil," this is an excellent example of why we should select leaders and not run our government by polls. We all want a balanced budget on average. Deficit spending is a tool that should not be discarded.
Ok so now that we know that the overwhelming majority WANT money to be used towards the deficit, who is going to tell Obama and the dem leaders? you? him? her?them? it doesnt matter who tells because THEY ARE NOT LISTENING, THEY DONT CARE and INSIST on telling us all that THEY know whats best for us and we, well we are too stupid to think for ourselves.
Back in April Obama poked fun of Tea Party protesters who among other things, were protesting the massive growth in the deficits. And he has been scolding Republicans for speaking out about the dangerous deficits levels because there were deficits under Bush too, even though the Bush deficitis were a third to half the size of the Obama deficits.
This poll shows a solid majority of voters agree with the Tea Party protesters and Republicans. And they don't care if Bush and the Republicans had them too. They care and are scared that trillion plus deficits are dangerous and that we can't afford them. They want something done about them. Saying Bush and the Republcians had them to fixes nothing. Obama and the Democrats are in control now, not Republicans. Only Obama and his liberal progressive congressional Democrat buddies have the power to do something about them. The only blame that voters will care about is to blame Obama and the Democrats if they fail to bring the deficits down to a level that does not threaten our future.
This is a disturbing trend. Deficit spending is beneficial in order to get the economy back on it's feet. FDR didn't spend enough so WWII is what eventually spurred our economy again. Once the economy rebounds, then it is IMPERATIVE to pay down the debt. However, during a recession, it is counterproductive to pay off debt when we have so many unemployed or underemployed. Tea baggers must realize that we had high deficit percentages during the Reagan and Bush years also. It is being pitched by the media and populists as the first time we have had high deficits. This is false. I wonder if the poll had asked if one was willing to wait a few years to get their job back while we pay down the deficit first. If worded that way, I doubt anyone would choose fiscal repayment over their own economic survival. When the jobs catch up with the stock market's rise, then we MUST pay down the deficit. Until, it makes no sense at all.
Let's hope that the Democratic Congress and Democratic President, who have increased the annual deficit by 300% over Bush, get 'rewarded' in 2010 and 2012 elections.
The people running this country have no business sense what so ever. I guess thats why they are politicians, they don't live in the real world.This so called reform they are trying to push through as well as the reckless give away programs already in place and the ridiculous cap and trade bill will drain this country. Maybe thats their plan all along., a welfare state.
Imagine having one car that has been driven into a ditch somewhere. Imagine having to decide if that car that has been driven into that ditch is worthy enough to be pulled out of that ditch and then repaired. That is basically the nature of this country's economic state of affairs now after the previous George W, Bush administration drove this country into that proverbial ditch of despair. First of all, the terrible state of Wall Street took place on George W. Bush's watch with the prevailing TARP measures to save the Nation's banking system. With nearly thirteen trillion dollars in debt, this nation must now attempt to get out of that ditch of despair and be fixed up in good working condition, how does that happen without jobs and a stimulus program? The trillions have already been spent and this country is no better off for it, how can this country NOT spend more and get itself going again. One can almost guess that the Senate will be asked to raise the debt ceiling once again in order to get this country going again after the disastrous Bush administration. The Nation's future is inextricably linked to both jobs and economy making the deficit secondary to a jobs program because no new money can be made to pay for the money already spent, and that includes debt on unpaid accounts including the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. TARP was a program which was engaged by the Bush administration which Obama MUST follow through on. Jobs are a priority which will take time to have an effect on this economy given the nature of that economic ditch has become!
Corporations avoid paying more than 25% of their taxes by legal manipulations. Why is it ok to break the spirit of the law as long as you follow the letter? If it's made by man it can be broken by man,
WE the people need to take our coubtry back fron these bureaucrats masquerading as representatives of the people.
I don't get this. People are angry about not having jobs, yet they want us to fix the deficit over the economy? Don't they realize that even fewer people will have jobs if that was the course of action? Sure the deficit needs to be fixed but people need to make up their minds. Having better unemployment numbers and a lower deficit at this moment are not possible at the same time.
What part of this story don't the dumbocraps get? The deficit would go down if they would quit spending. I realize they want to get votes by giving every hand out they can, even if they are 1000% less efficient in their programs than they would be if they just wrote everyone a check. You take away all the hand outs, and make people work for what they get, I don't have a problem. All I ask is for people to work 10 hours a week. We have trash to pick up, hospital floors to mop, ghettos to repair, etc. You get the point don't you? Just get off the couch and quit watching Oprah.
Ok, this is not a matter of left and right... This is a matter of politician and Joe Schmoe! We (Joe) know that running a deficit is wrong; we balance our check books and when we get into debt, we try to get back out. Politicians on the other hand are spending OUR money not their own, so they don't give a darn! Left, right, middle; it doesn't matter.
They interview the millions of people out of work or those afraid of losing their jobs. Im not one of the people without a job.
How stupid can the American people be. This is econ 101, boosting the enconomy, put more people to work, which increase tax revenue, and that reduces the deficit. duh..............
Before the apologists start, Bush spent too much and he got HAMMERED BY MANY CONSERVATIVES and that is wht his poll numbers plummeted before he left, he wasn't acting like a Conservative, more like a Dumocrat.
We have this HUGE deficit now because your zero...... hero spends money that we don't have and may NEVER have for social programs that are going to cost more than they always say (except for Bush's prescription drug benefit) and PEOPLE that are not guzzling the kool-aid are concerned.
He has outspent EVERY PRESIDENT COMBINED in less than a year and if you like 24,000 cash for clunkers and FAKE jobs in FAKE districts, you are bigger fools than we thought.
My grand kids will be paying for his handouts and flawed ideals UNLESS he is stopped and his sheep in 2010 and he in 2012 are BOOTED OUT.
More facts to chew on bahhhhh, bahhhh.
Well guess what Democrats, the wicked witch of the west Pelosi just asked that our debt limit be increased to 14 TRILLION DOLLARS. 4 trillion more than when Obama took office. Lets see, it only took him 10 months to increase our debt by 40%. You asked for it....you got it.
Citizens can personally send money to be used towards paying down the national debt. Instead of complaining, send your check.
So why wasn't taxes increased when Bush decided to invade Iraq??
His message to the American people was "go shopping or the terrorists
have won". That's what caused the mess we are in right now!!
Presumably a majority would also prefer standing in bread lines and living in refrigerator boxes.
Where the hell was the OUTRAGE about deficit spending during the eight years of the Bush fiasco !!
Two Wars started by him with NO plan to pay for them until obama now trying to figure out how to- pay the bills.
Obama is taking the heat that the- MORON Bush- should have gotten..
Where do people think the money will come from for helping the unemployed with extended benefits if it does not come from TARP?
Surely the same majority wants to help the unemployed and help with jobs, so what sense does it make to use 200 billion to pay off the deficit and pass a jobs bill for 150 or 200 billion? At least the TARP funds are in the budget and can be tracked another jobs bill would be outside the budget.
The only way this poll makes any logical sense is if the majority does not want to help the unemployed or a jobs bill and to just pay down the deficit.
I cannot believe that a majority of Americans would deny the unemployed the safety net during this recession.
CNN, again, it is really hard to believe any poll that is put out. There are a megaton of more people than, "808" in the United States.
To be honest, I hate the idea of having the deficit as high as it is, and it should be focused on like a lazor; at the same time, we need something done to prop up the job market. Besides over 300 professional job economists say that they like the idea of $200 billion going to small businesses. Small businesses are the key to future job growth, and I am 18 going on 19; so I would like the idea of $200 billion going to small businesses across the nation. I have a job, and I go to college at the same time; so I know how hard it is first hand to keep good hours at hand. I don't blame one person for this mess, I blame the person named, Greed. Greed has been given almost 3 decades to allow Wall Street to rob us royally blind, and it has to end; it will end. Did you hear the news about bailed out companies very stongly possibly getting a huge paycut? It is about time, and it should only be the begining. Besides one half million a year is nothing to whine over, so I say to those CEOs, "Put a sock in it, and shut up."
Lowering the deficit is not possible with the steady stream of "war expenses" pouring out of the USA and into the coffers of foreign welfare states and leaders.
With this logic, the United States would never have pulled out of the Great Depression and our official language would be Japanese. On the up side, there would have been no 9/11.
Just goes to show that Bill Maher is right: America is a stupid country.
The deficit should NOT be our top priority. It wasn't our top priority when GWB ran it up, so why should it be a priority now? Our focus needs to be on the economy and jobs, jobs, jobs!!!
A wise majority of voters are telling Obama and his liberal progressive Democrat buddies in congress that the greatest threat to the United States economy and future is a mountain of debt that can't be paid back.
But while these wise voters are saying enough already on the out of control spending, Obama wants to direct paid back and unused TARP money, that under the law is supposed to be used to pay down the deficit, to be spent on round two of the failed stimulus. On top of that Obama and the Democrats continue to push to pass a trillion plus dollar health care reform bill that a majority of voters also do not want. In fact polls show a majority of voters would prefer nothing be done on health care at this time rather than pass either of the bills in the House or Senate.
Obama and the Democrats continue to not hear what the majority of voters are saying. While at the same time the Republicans and Tea Parties are in agreement with the voting majority. It is not hard to see what the results of the 2010 and 2012 elections will be if this does not change.
There are some better ideas this stimulus package go around but Obama already blew 800 billion dollars on nothing that would ad economic value.
Keep in mind he wanted to fund acorn and give Hollywood tax breaks initially in the first package. No special interest there.
since government were invented they have always spent more money than were coming in from taxing do to the fax nobody want to pay it but all want good service. Enough said ,case close.
I wonder what percentage of the people who were in the majority in that poll were unemployed, underemployed, or had family or friends in that situation.
I also wonder how many of the people in the majority in that poll lived during or in the decade following the Great Depression, and through World War II and in the decade or so following World War II.
We need Sarah Palin as president so that she can enact Palinomics. Only Palinomics has the power and ability to drive the deficit and the national debt DOWN TO ZERO! She will also drive unemployment DOWN TO ZERO as well!
WELL DUH!! That's like someone realizing that it might be better to pay their delinquent mortgage than going to Disneyland. Welcome to reality my fellow Americans!
(However, despite what the poll says, being responsible and lowering a deficit never got an American politician re-elected, so don't expect much.)
Does the survey distinguish whether the individuals polled are employed or not?
"When this watered down joke of a healthcare reform bill fails to bring down costs, the whole system will implode. I can't wait. unfortunately, everyone will blame Obama, but maybe then we'll finally get a single payer system like the rest of the civilized world. "
Sorry Randolph...I tend to agree with you, but this time I think you have it backwards. When it fails to do what needs doing...and it will because it's been stripped of anything meaningful and bloated with provisions that are bones thrown to the insurance industry...the GOPers will claim that the complete mess the health care industry devolves into is the fault of the bill, even though it's precisely where we're headed right now if nothing is done. They will fall back on their rhetoric regarding the magic free market that supposedly regulates and fixes itself and say "See? We told you so. Now th ehealth care industry is a mess BECAUSE OF the reform bill interfering with these giant 3rd party corporations, who ignore the needs and demands of the consumers just so they can make more money and poop in $30K toilets"...all while conveniently forgetting to mention that in reality, the reform bill did nothing to stop the impending implosion we right this minute KNOW is coming unless something effective is done.
NEVER underestimate the stupidity of the American public.
"Only 30 percent say it's OK for the government to run a deficit in a time of war and economic turmoil,"
If that is how the question was phrased, then it is meaningless because it was asked in a vacuum. The myriad caveats that belong at the end of that sentence to place the situation in context, which are missing from it, render the survey ridiculous. Thanks for playing though. It's like asking "is it ok to hit people" without adding the "when they are coming at you with a knife."
How has there been no coverage of the Norwegian Lights? The Russian Military denied that it was one of their rockets outright, so please, delve into this at least a modicum!
And if it was a rocket, as seems to be the plea now, let's have them do it again... yes?
Most politicians have no idea how to spend within our means or how to balance a budget because they have never run a business and have lived their entire lives spending other people's money.
Oh...forgot to add (to Randolph)...that my point was that we won't finally get single-payer after this fails...we'll have 300 million people too scared to try anything to fix it ever again...just like the GOP wants us to be.
If someone would have polled me, I would have said boosting the economy.
Note to Obama: STOP SPENDING!!!
(And no more democratic slush funds for pet projects and political bribes)
That's the exact OPPOSITE of every other poll on this issue.
I beg to disagree with the poll's majority. Simply put, without economic growth, government gets no money to spend on items like healthcare, unemployment, education, infrastructure, etc, etc. If the economy grows, a deficit could be easily wiped in a matter of years. Mind you, I am not advocating continuous deficit spending, but targeted spending on projects that will actually stimulate the economy while investing in the long-term infrastructural development of the country. And that includes a direct investment in the American people by way of education.
That's a good sign. If people are now at a point that they can worry about the nations deficit more than their own poverty... that's proof the recovery is indeed working. A large part of that is because the stock market has improved and people have recovered the money in their retirement accounts. Retirement is for another day... so the economy can move slower and they think that they will still end up ahead. It's great for the economy that most people are no longer fearful about their own immediate survival. That means they will start spending... and that means business will start making money again and hire again.. and continue to grow... which creates more jobs... ect. The more people working means the more people paying taxes which means the Government will start making enough money to pay down it's debt.
There is no question that the bank bailouts and stimulus are working like they were meant to.
Cheers!
By the way, this survey just proves what we already knew: the majority of Americans like putting the cart before the horse (then pushing it off a cliff). If the economy does not get fixed, the deficit will only grow and grow. If you're in debt and lose your job, your debt grows...but you don't get to stop spending to eat, or drive to job interviews, or buy paper on which to print your resume, etc. If you can't follow that analogy in terms of the Stimulus plan, then shoosh yourself.
they need to be held accountable for ruining this country......everything will be corrected in the November elections and we can go back to American basics and the Constitution......
I'd love to see how these polls breakdown by employment status. I'd wager there's a statistically significant difference to how many employed people think reducing the deficit is most important compared to unemployed people.
I would also love to hear people explain why the government should not run a deficit, but it's ok for consumers, households and businesses to run their own deficit by borrowing money for mortgages, schooling and capital investments.
@ Palin Power... just what exactly is Palinomics and how exactly does it work? I'd really, really like to know. Or were you just joking?
Mark:
you couldn't have been more pathetic than to say "There are some better ideas this stimulus package go around but Obama already blew 800 billion dollars on nothing that would ad economic value." And then flat out lie that the President "wanted to fund acorn and give Hollywood tax breaks initially in the first package. No special interest there."
Every credible economist and decent human beign has concluded that the Obama stimulus did exactly what it was intended to do: save us from financial collapse which, is huge indeed. Please rid yourself of bigotry and hatred and take soem time to read data by yourself and stop listening to Palin and Limbaugh, the drug addict.
What do the Pollsters really know about the whole situation and why should anyone listen to that voice anyway.
Hey Palin Power: What are you smoking? How about sharing with us.
Sarah would quit before she was nominated. She is a loser!!!
Whoa, shocking... Just a few weeks ago, botox pelosi said the opposite (that people wanted better economy even it it means higher deficits).
All this new found urgent need for fiscal responsibility is just smoke generated by those who had their taxes roled back the last 8+ years. I agree and we should role back the tax breaks for the ultra rich till we balance the budget -----I`m willing if they are willing !!!!!!!
The tyranny of polling has reached utterly idiotic proportions. I don't understand how a poll can be taken on a complex subject, with the inherent danger of asking questions couched in terms that are very likely biased, if not downright incorrect, and then answered by people who are not qualified to understand what they are being asked.
Most people, including many in our Congress, do not have enough of a background in economics to be able to comprehend and discuss such an issue intelligently, and yet they’re asked to toss off an opinion as if one did not need expertise. Having people give uninformed nonsense about serious topics trivializes both CNN and misleads viewers. It does not give credence to CNN having “the best news team in television,” a sobriquet that must be earned with more serious journalistic work than putting together poll after poll, as if this were news. http://barbaraspen.blogspot.com/
I just hope that the next time a Republican President wants to cut taxes for multi-millionares, and invade a foreign country that poses absolutely NO threat to the United States whatsoever, that we will all be thinking about the dangers of deficit spending as the case for this kind of stupidity is being made once again.
A not surprising result, given that 90% of us are still employed, and probably 100% of us that still answer telephone polls.
A little ridiculous that anyone would even ask this question of ordinary people, who are unlikely in the extreme to have a qualified opinion.
Yes, deficits are bad, but in a down economy, the loss of tax revenues does not eliminate the need for government services. It is the proper role of government to spend money to boost economic activity. The worst deficits are those we generate during good times, when the proper role of government is to apply the brakes a bit.
Americans are finally interested in tightening the purse strings on this administration and congress. Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that the already obscene spending has brought in so very little of what was promised? Do you think?
Americans actually are smarter than David, Rahm, Nancy, Harry, Barry and Joe give us credit for!
These polls are getting ridiculous. Enough already. Instead of electing politicians, why don't we govern our country by these polls instead? This poll is especially puzzling considering how addicted Americans are to their credit cards...and driving up their own household budget deficits. Come on, America...let's be honest You don't mind deficits, as long as you can have your cake and eat it, too. Does anybody remember when the Clinton administration balanced the budget? Of course not, nobody remembers these things because nobody cares. It's the right-wing nuts who are all of a sudden so concerned about running deficits when they let Reagon run-up our country's deficit spending as a "good thing", and then did it again under Bush. Pot calling the kettle black.
Ya know common sense will tell you that if you boost the economy, that in itself with help with lowering the deficit. More people working and paying taxes.
If you worry about the deficit first, more businesses will close causing more unemployment. Put the people back to work, and their taxes they pay from their payroll check will go to the deficit!
If you go polling Republicans thats is the result you get! yet on the sides they ask where are the jobs?. Folks dont digest any news from fox, christian monitor, wall street journal and this kind of polls they are ran by republican thugs who only look after their interest! you call on them they cry socialist!!! the word socialist is a cover for greediness. When people have jobs they pay taxes and then the Government can reduce the deficits!!. Wake up America you are being duped by the so called fiscal conservative! first, they should be moral conservatists!!
You Democrats are hilarious! Here's a sample...
1. George Bush ran deficits! Where was the outrage then?
Answer: Does that make Obama/Pelois/Reid's deficit of TEN TIMES greater OK? No.
2. How many people in this poll were unemployed?
Answer: A representative sample.
3. But we must run deficits to get out of the recession!
Answer: Not if most of the money is going to unemployment benefits or state governments to keep the Service Employee Union members happy and fully employed, neither of which creates jobs.
The House passed legislation Friday aimed at preventing the next big financial crisis, ushering in the most sweeping set of changes to the banking regulatory system since the New Deal.
The bill, which passed 223-202, imposes more oversight and stronger capital cushions for the largest banks and Wall Street firms. It forces them to pay a total of as much as $150 billion into an emergency fund that could be tapped when a troubled firm needs to be taken over and broken up.
The legislation also calls for the regulation of some derivatives and creates a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency to regulate products such as credit cards and mortgages.
Also, I just heard with the pay cuts that the irresponsible CEOs are getting, this happened as well earlier today. Greed, you are going to lose, big time.
Uh-oh – that Kool-aid is wearing off quickly now! Better pass some more massive government programs before anyone finally gets a clue that this big bill that President Pelosi is racking up is on OUR credit card!
Ummm....was it made clear that to cut the deficit means to let the economy go into a depression? Do they realize that gov. spending makes up the bulk of GDP and would make us worth off right now? How can you ask that kind of question?
Who did that stupid poll,,,
Only Palin's wisdom will save us!!
That's like saying if you are lagging behind in a bicycle race you should just stop peddling.
The majority who voted that the deficit was more important than the economy needs to understand... you don't raise taxes to reduce the deficit from people who are out of work... and it is easy to vote in favor of deficit reduction IF you have a job!
Ok.
1. How exactly do you balance the budget without raising a single tax while INCREASING defense spending.
2. To that point, just what programs do you plan on cutting in order to balance the budget while cutting taxes and increasing defense spending.
3. Remember, questions 1 and 2 were answered with Reaganomics in 1981, and instead of balancing the budget, the National Debt tripled in less than five years.
If someone is unemployed they are not paying taxes at the same rate they were when they had a job.
If a company closes it is not paying taxes at all.
We need to get people back to work and get small businesses up and running.
This will generate tax revenue that can be used to pay down the debt.
Our economy is never going to get better till we do something about the national debt.
And we escalate the war in Afghanistan.
Our government is a joke.
If we don't quit spending 2 things happen that will make this recession look like a vacation:
1) China will quit buying our debt (they're already complaining and when the banker gets angry you'd better listen)
2) We'll have to create money to pay for this bloated government, the dollar will loose it's value and this Ponzi scheme of Fiat currency will come crashing down (Welcome to the $300 loaf of bread).
Inflation makes fools of us all and printing trillions of dollars to throw at a problem doesn't help. The economy moves in cycles and it will turn around on it's own, the government just gets in the way.
Republicans and George W. put us where we are today....in the crapper. Hopefully, we WON'T GIVE the Republicans any more seats next election. We should be learning from our past. If we want to accomplishing anything we need more Democrats.
Unless you lower thedfeficit it doesn't matter how well the economy is doing. The boost in the economy is only temporary. The deficit is still there.
I keep seeing posts that say "where were all these people when Bush was running up deficits"...
They were at the polls, first giving control of the House and the Senate to the Democrats, then giving the Democrats super majorities and the Presidency.
This is the lesson the Democrats refuse to learn... keep doing things that po the American voter, especially the Independents, and this the fate that awaits you.
since this money is taxpayers money, why not re-distribute it to the 100 million taxpayers, say $2,500 each, and let the stimulus begin..
I doubt that there is anyone who "likes" debt but then it has been building up over decades without CNN freaking out about it. Where were you when Bush/Cheney were not even including the cost of the two wars in their deficit numbers.
As many comments indicate a poll, like all of those CNN publishes, is meaningless unless the exact questions asked , the break down ofpolitical affiliation and the other pertinent details like whether the respondents are employed or not. Completely useless!!
Was there a question in the poll about whether the American people wanted tax hikes or spending cuts to balance the budget?
You want spending cuts? Fine, what part of YOUR benefits can we cut?
-Medicare/Medicaide?
-Social Security?
-Reduce military spending in a time of war?
-Reduce spending on infrastructure?
-Spend less on law enforcement?
I'm sorry, but most people want to balance the budget by raising other people's taxes and cutting other people's benefits. And very few have any practical understanding of macro-economics. That's why we elect leaders.
47% of the country does not have a net federal tax liability.
Everybody always claims that they want a cut in federal spending, but the second anyone tries to cut federal spending, people scream to the high heavens. Look at medicare. The president proposes a cut in subsidies to insurance companies and seniors get mad. The president cuts spending on an aircraft the military doesn't even want, and people get mad.
Yet, somehow people expect the president to force banks to lend money, and businesses to hire Americans WITHOUT raising taxes for anyone.
Stop being ridiculous people.
Polls are so weird or are American folks fickle......One day we are hollering for jobs and the next we are hollering deficit reduction. You can't have both at the same time. Once there is job growth there will be deficit reduction but deficit reduction will not spur jobs. In fact lack of jobs will hurt our children more than the deficit. And we will still whine which we love to do.
Folks, this explains my worst fears.....we don't understand basic economics and therefore these polls mean nothing! The economy has to be stimulated and the private sector ain't doing it....they just keep filling their own pockets.