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                            April 11, 201419% Think Federal Government Has Consent of the Governed
Just 19% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the federal government today has the consent of the governed, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
That’s down two points from January but still up slightly from the all-time low of 17% reached in August. This finding is generally in keeping with regular surveying for the past four years. Sixty-sixty percent (66%) do not believe the federal government has the consent of the governed today, while 16% are unsure. (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 April 9-10, 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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                            April 11, 2014Illinois Senate: Durbin (D) 51%, Oberweis (R) 37%
Longtime Democratic Senator Dick Durbin has a double-digit lead over his Republican challenger in Rasmussen Reports’ first look at the 2014 U.S. Senate race in Illinois.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Illinois Voters finds Durbin picking up 51% of the vote to State Senator Jim Oberweis’ 37%. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, while 10% 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 Illinois was conducted on April 9-10, 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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                            April 11, 201459% of GOP Voters Say Republicans in Congress Out of Touch with Party’s Base
Most Republican voters continue to believe their congressional representatives are out of touch with the party's base, while most Democrats remain happy with the representation they have in Washington, D.C. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds just 29% of Likely Republican Voters think Republicans in Congress have done a good job representing GOP values over the past several years. Fifty-nine percent (59%) say Republicans in Congress have lost touch with GOP voters from throughout the nation. But that's down slightly from 65% last August and an all-time high of 73% in October 2009. (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 U.S. Voters was conducted on April 9-10, 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.
April 11, 2014If You Think the Sky is Falling, Check out the Prophecies of the 1970s by Michael Barone
Forty years is roughly the length of a working lifetime -- and long enough for history to have taken some unexpected turns. And to have proved that long-term forecasts based on extrapolations of existing trends usually end up wide of the mark.
The list of failed prophecies from the 1970s is rather long. The conventional wisdom of the time was more than usually unreliable.

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                            April 11, 201456% Say American Society is Fair and Decent
The number of American voters who believe U.S. society is fair and decent remains just above its recent low.
A new Rasmussen Reports national survey finds that 56% of Likely U.S. Voters view American society that way. But that’s up only one point from January, which marked the lowest level of confidence since August 2012.  Twenty-nine percent (29%) disagree and think society in this country is generally unfair and discriminatory. This figure has been trending downward from a five-year high of 32% last October. Fifteen percent (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 national telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on April 7-8, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            April 10, 201468% Say Frivolous Lawsuits Are Driving Up Health Care, Insurance Costs
Americans think it’s too easy to file a lawsuit nowadays, and even more still believe dubious lawsuits are driving up the price of health care, insurance and other products and services.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of American Adults feel it’s too easy to file a lawsuit in the United States, although that's down nine points from 53% in October 2012. Sixteen percent (16%) say it’s too hard, while 22% think the level of difficult is about right. (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.
This survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on April 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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                            April 10, 201478% View Politicians As Less Ethical Than Those in Other Professions
Most Americans think their fellow countrymen try to live ethical lives, but they don’t believe many of those in several top professions measure up.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of American Adults believe most Americans try to do the right thing and live their lives in an ethical fashion.  Just 27% disagree, but 16% are not 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 national telephone survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on April 8-9, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            April 10, 201463% Think Members of Congress Are Overpaid
Retiring Virginia Congressman Jim Moran recently complained that members of Congress are underpaid. But most voters still think their legislators are overpaid instead, and the vast majority believes they should take pay cuts until the federal budget is balanced.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds 63% of Likely Voters believe the current congressional salary of $174,000 a year is too much. Just four percent (4%) think that’s too little, while 30% say it’s about the right amount. (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 national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 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. Seemethodology. 
April 10, 2014Let There Be Light on Health Spending By Froma Harrop
Foes of Obamacare often frame such health reforms as "redistribution" schemes. They take money from hardworking Americans and give it to the presumably undeserving.
April 10, 2014Is the Republican Presidential Vote Inefficiently Distributed? By Sean Trende
A number of months ago, I engaged in a spirited debate with Alan Abramowitz and Ruy Teixeira over whether there were “missing white voters” in the 2012 election upon which Republicans could potentially draw in the future to win elections. We also sparred over whether white voters were trending Republican, potentially offsetting Democratic gains among nonwhites.

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                            April 10, 201448% Think America’s Best Days Are in the Past
Nearly half of U.S. voters still think this nation’s glory days are in its past.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 33% of Likely U.S. Voters think America’s best days are still to come, up only slightly from 31% in October 2013, the lowest level of optimism in two-and-a-half years. Forty-eight percent (48%) think the nation’s best days are in the past, although that's down from last October's recent high of 52%. Nineteen percent (19%) are not 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 national telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on April 7-8, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            April 9, 201430% Say U.S. is Heading in Right Direction
Thirty percent (30%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending April 6.
This finding is up two points from 28% the previous week. The number who say the country is heading in the right direction has remained in the narrow range of 28% to 30% every week but one since mid-December.
(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 on March 31-April 6, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            April 9, 2014What America Thinks About Obamacare: More Sign-Ups, More Unpopular
Despite the Obama administration’s claim that it exceeded its goal of seven million health insurance sign-ups by the end of March, unfavorable opinions of the new national health care law are at their highest level in several months
April 9, 2014Ukrainians, and Americans, are the Children of History By Michael Barone
If you've been following events in Ukraine closely, you may have seen maps, available at electoralgeography.com, showing how the ethnic Russian areas voted heavily for one candidate and the ethnic Ukrainian areas for another. 

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                            April 9, 2014Nebraska Senate: Sasse (R) 52%, Domina (D) 27%
Leading Republican hopefuls Shane Osborn and Ben Sasse are well ahead of their Democratic opponent in Nebraska’s U.S. Senate race, but Sasse runs stronger among both GOP voters and all voters in the state.
A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Nebraska Voters finds Sasse with 52% support, while David Domina picks up 27% of the vote. Five percent (5%) like some other candidate, but a sizable 16% 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 Nebraska was conducted on April 7-8, 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. 
April 9, 2014Taxing Life Away By John Stossel
It's tax time. I'm too scared to do my taxes. I'm sure I'll get something wrong and my enemies in government will persecute -- no, I mean prosecute -- me. So I hired Bob.
Bob's my accountant. I like Bob, but I don't like that I have to have an accountant. I don't want to spend time keeping records and talking to Bob about boring things I don't understand, and I really don't want to pay Bob. But I have to.

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                            April 9, 201431% Believe U.S. Has Crony Capitalist System
Many Americans remain unconvinced that the United States has a system of free market capitalism and continue to be wary of government involvement in the economy.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 32% of American Adults believe the United States has a system of free market capitalism, while just as many (31%) say it is a system of crony capitalism. Slightly more (37%) are not sure what kind of capitalist system America has. (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 April 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.

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                            April 8, 201456% Think There Are Too Many Lawyers in U.S.
Most Americans still think there are too many lawyers in the country today, and they’re not happy that they make up the majority of Congress.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% of American Adults think there are too many lawyers in America, although that’s down slightly from 60% in 2012. Just nine percent (9%) feel like there are not enough lawyers. Nineteen percent (19%) say the number of lawyers is about right, but 16% 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 American Adults was conducted on April 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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                            April 8, 2014Ellen, Colbert Are Leading Favorites for Letterman Job
David Letterman announced last week that he would be officially retiring from hosting duties of CBS-TV's The Late Show next year. Americans are closely divided as to who should take his place.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 47% of American Adults share a somewhat favorable opinion of Letterman, including 13% with a Very Favorable opinion of the late night host.  Thirty-three percent (33%) view him somewhat unfavorably, with 14% who have a Very Unfavorable opinion of Letterman. (For 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 April 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.

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                            April 8, 201423% Rate Obamacare A Success; 62% Think GOP Repeal Likely
The Obama administration boasted last week that it had surpassed its March 31 goal of signing up seven million Americans through new health insurance exchanges. But few voters consider the new national health care law a success, and most think repeal of the law is likely if Republicans take over Congress in November.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 23% of Likely U.S. Voters view Obamacare as a success so far. Twice as many (46%) describe the health care law as a failure. For 29%, it’s somewhere in between the two. (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 April 5-6, 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.