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August 12, 2014Who Cares What Ideology Drives the High-Speed Train? by Froma Harrop
In Texas, a private company wants to build a bullet train joining Dallas and Houston. In California, the state is raising its own billions to create a very fast ride between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Two very different ways to fund high-speed rail, but they have one thing in common. They bypass the thousand-car pileup that is Washington politics.
Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2014 CREATORS.COM

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                            August 12, 2014Are Women Smarter Than Men?
Talk about playing it safe. We asked Americans if women are smarter than men, and they're evenly divided.
Thirty-one percent (31%) of American Adults say yes, women are smarter, but just as many (31%) say no they're not. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that slightly more (38%) insist they aren't sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on August 7-8, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            August 11, 2014Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 40%, Democrats 39%
For the second week in a row, Republicans lead Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending August 10 finds that 40% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 39% would choose the Democrat instead.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 
The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from August 4-10, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            August 11, 2014Kansas Senate: Roberts (R) 44%, Taylor (D) 40%
Kansas may have a Senate race after all.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Kansas Voters finds incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts with just a four-point lead – 44% to 40% - over Democratic challenger Chad Taylor. Seven percent (7%) like some other candidate in the race, and eight percent (8%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Kansas was conducted on August 6-7, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            August 11, 2014Voters Think Iraq May Already Be Lost
Most voters approve of U.S. military airstrikes in Iraq but still think radical Islamic insurgents are likely to take control of the country.
Sixty percent (60%) of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Obama’s decision to launch U.S. airstrikes to help the democratically-elected government fight al-Qaeda-led militants who threaten to take over Iraq. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 20% oppose these airstrikes, while just as many (19%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 8-9, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
August 11, 2014Ebola's Message: Foreign Aid and Science Funding in a Time of Global Peril By Joe Conason
Most Americans have long believed, in embarrassing ignorance, that the share of the U.S. federal budget spent on foreign aid is an order of magnitude higher than what we actually spend abroad. Years ago, this mistaken view was amplified from the far right by the John Birch Society. Today, it is the tea party movement complaining that joblessness and poverty in the United States result directly from the lamentable fact that "President Obama keeps sending our money overseas."

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                            August 11, 2014Voters Want Health Care Choices When Their Money's At Stake
Attitudes toward the national health care law remain mostly negative, and voters continue to overwhelmingly favor consumer choice when buying health insurance. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters share a favorable opinion of the health care law, while 53% view it unfavorably. This includes 19% with a Very Favorable opinion and 39% with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)  
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 8-9, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            August 10, 2014America Is Losing the War on Drugs
An overwhelming majority of adults still believe the United States is losing the war on drugs, but they are more divided over whether money is the answer.
Just three percent (3%) of American Adults believe the United States is winning the war on drugs, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Eighty-four percent (84%) disagree. Thirteen percent (13%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Facebook.
The national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on August 3-4, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            August 9, 2014What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending August 9, 2014
What do voters really think?
On the one hand, they strongly believe the major differences between President Obama and congressional Republicans are mostly about politics and not honest disagreement over the issues.
Attorney General Eric Holder even suggested recently that the differences are motivated by racism, although voters strongly reject that claim.

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                            August 8, 2014Voters Think Parents Need More School Options
Voters remain strongly pro-choice when it comes to giving parents options on the kind of school they want their children to attend.
But they still give U.S. public schools mediocre grades, with just 28% of Likely U.S. Voters who rate their performance as good or excellent. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that slightly more (30%) rate the performance of the public schools as poor. This is in keeping with regular surveying for the past couple years. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 4-5, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            August 8, 2014Texas Governor: Abbott (R) 48%, Davis (D) 40%
The gubernatorial race in Texas is slightly closer than it was earlier this year.
A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Texas Voters finds Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott picking up 48% of the vote to Democratic State Senator Wendy Davis’ 40%. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, while nine percent (9%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 850 Likely Voters in Texas was conducted on August 4-5, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            August 8, 201451% Think CIA’s Interrogations Helped War on Terror
While senators argue over the level of detail the CIA is willing to release about its secret activities, a sizable number of voters continues to believe the intelligence agency tortured likely terrorists, but slightly more think the information obtained that way helped in the War on Terror.
Forty-four percent (44%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the United State tortured terrorism suspects, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just half as many (22%) disagree. But one-in-three voters (34%) aren’t sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 6-7, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
August 8, 2014Primaries Show Republican Voters Wary of Tea party Candidates, Skeptical of Party Establishment by Michael Barone
The standard thing to say about the various Republican primaries this year is that the tea party movement has lost one race after another. That's a defensible conclusion but also an oversimplification.
I see more turbulence and undercurrents among Republican primary voters than usual. The evidence is that incumbents -- both those the mainstream media call tea partyers and those they call the party establishment -- have been prevailing by tenuous margins in primaries that in the pre-tea party years would almost certainly not have been seriously contested.
Michael Barone, senior political analyst at the Washington Examiner, (www.washingtonexaminer.com), where this article first appeared, is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a Fox News Channel contributor and a co-author of The Almanac of American Politics. To find out more about Michael Barone, and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at
www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2014 THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

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                            August 8, 2014Obama vs. Congress: Voters Say It’s Politics, Not Policy
President Obama and Republicans in Congress oppose each other on most major issues facing the nation, but few voters believe this political struggle is about substance.
Just 20% of Likely U.S. Voters think the opposition between the two is mostly due to honest differences of opinion, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Sixty-nine percent (69%) say this opposition is due mostly to partisan politics. Eleven percent (11%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 31- August 1, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            August 7, 2014Voters Bank on Green Energy Over Fossil Fuels
Most Americans still agree that finding new sources of energy is essential and think renewable sources are a better long-term investment than fossil fuels.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% of Likely U.S. Voters feel that finding new energy sources is more important than reducing the amount of energy Americans now consume. Thirty-six percent (35%) disagree and consider energy conservation more important. This is consistent with regular surveying for years. (To see survey question wording, click here)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 31-August 1, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            August 7, 2014Reefer Gladness?
In the seven months since Colorado began the public sale of recreational marijuana, a similar law took effect in the state of Washington, and voters in Washington, DC will weigh in on a comparable initiative this November. While attitudes about marijuana in general have changed very little, there appears to be less opposition to legalization on the state level, and support for medicinal pot remains strong.
Forty-three percent (43%) of Americans nationwide favor the legalization of recreational marijuana use in their home state, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just as many (43%) are opposed, while 15% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on August 3-4, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            August 7, 2014North Carolina Senate: Tillis (R) 45%, Hagan (D) 40%
Republican challenger Thom Tillis has pushed slightly further ahead of Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely North Carolina Voters shows Tillis earning 45% support to Hagan’s 40%. Six percent (6%) prefer another candidate in the race, and nine percent (9%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 750 Likely Voters in North Carolina was conducted on August 5-6, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            August 7, 2014Perry for Prez? What Do Texans Think?
Most Texas voters still like the job Governor Rick Perry is doing, but they’re less enthusiastic about seeing him in the White House.
A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey finds that 54% of Likely Texas Voters approve of Perry’s job performance, while 43% disapprove. This includes 27% who Strongly Approve and 29% who Strongly Disapprove. (To see question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 850 Likely Voters in Texas was conducted on August 4-5, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
August 7, 2014Selling to 'Minimalists' Is Surprisingly Easy By Froma Harrop
It matters not whether you are sizing up, sizing down or sizing sideways. Merchants have products to help you on your way to the life you think you want.
Before L. Frank Baum published his first Wizard of Oz book in 1900, he helped create the modern consumer society by totally redesigning store windows in Chicago. Gone were the storefront piles of everything in the shop. In their place, Baum fashioned theatrical scenes using mechanical butterflies, incandescent globes and the simple presentation of select items -- all to build a mood, a desire for the whole fantastical "lifestyle" package.

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                            August 7, 2014Is There A Driverless Car in Your Future?
Google has developed a completely driver-free car, and a few Iowa counties will be the first in the United States to allow them on their roads, although it isn't clear how soon. But will they catch on?
Nearly one-in-four American Adults (23%) say they are at least somewhat likely to buy a driverless car when they become available to the public at a reasonable price, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. But that includes just nine percent (9%) who are Very Likely to do so. Most adults (69%) are not likely to be in the market for a driverless car, with 35% who are Not At All Likely to be. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on August 1-2, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.