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June 16, 2013On Civil Liberties, Comparing Obama With Bush Is Easy -- and Mostly Wrong By Joe Conason
Nearly a dozen years after the passage of the Patriot Act, rushed through Congress in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, informed debate over the balance between liberty and security is long overdue. That includes a public examination of how widely and deeply the National Security Agency (and other elements of the "intelligence community") may monitor Americans' telecommunications without violating the Bill of Rights.

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                            June 16, 201341% Believe Supreme Court Too Hostile Towards Religion, 15% Too Friendly
Throughout history, the relationship between church and state has been a major issue for societies. In the United States, the First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but precisely what that means has been subject to ongoing debate.

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                            June 15, 2013What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls  - For the Week Ending June 15, 2013
The news that the National Security Agency is monitoring everybody’s phone records and reading emails dominated the news last week. Most voters (57%) fear other government agencies will use the NSA data to harass political opponents. Just 26% support the government monitoring effort. 

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                            June 14, 201344% Are Confident They Will Receive All Promised Social Security Benefits
Most voters are still not confident that they will receive all promised Social Security benefits during their lifetime. There is overwhelming support for the view that voter approval should be required before any changes in the program are made.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters are at least somewhat confident that the Social Security system will pay them all their promised retirement benefits during their lifetime. Fifty-three percent (53%) are not confident.
There is a huge generation gap on this question. Seniors are overwhelmingly confident that they will receive their benefits. Just 22% of voters under 40 share that view. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted June 12-13, 2013 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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                            June 14, 2013NJ Governor: Christie Has Big Lead, Seen as Most Effective Candidate to Work With Obama
New Jersey’s Republican Governor Chris Christie holds a huge lead in his bid for reelection partly because he is seen as the most effective candidate to work with Democratic President Barack Obama.  The first Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of the race finds Governor Christie attracting 58% of the vote, while State Senator Barbara Buono earns the vote from 28%. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate and 10% are undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The state survey of 1,000 Likely Voters in New Jersey was conducted June 12-13, 2013 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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                            June 14, 201357% Fear Government Will Use NSA Data to Harass Political Opponents
There is little public support for the sweeping and unaccountable nature of the National Security Agency surveillance program along with concerns about how the data will be used.
Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters nationwide believe it is likely the NSA data will be used by other government agencies to harass political opponents. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 30% consider it unlikely and 14% 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 survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 12-13, 2013 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. 
June 14, 2013High Heels and Workers' Rights By Froma Harrop
One of the strangest artifacts of American culture is the spiked heel as a symbol of female power. Many waitresses at America's casinos feel otherwise.

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                            June 14, 2013Distrust of Government Is What It's All About by Scott Rasmussen
Another week, another controversy in official Washington. While each of these stories has its own cast of characters and internal dynamics, it is now possible to identify a unifying theme.

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                            June 13, 201332% Are Willing to Pay More In Taxes to Keep Medicare As Is
Voters tend to believe it's not possible to keep Medicare going as is without a tax hike, but just one-in-three are willing to pay more in taxes to keep the government insurance program that way.  
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 34% of Likely Voters think it's possible to continue Medicare as it is today without raising taxes, up from 29% in June 2011.  But a plurality (42%) still doesn't think that's possible, while 24% more are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.) 
How did you do in the latest Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leaderboard to find out. 
(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 June 10-11, 2013 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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                            June 13, 201364% Think Business Owners Should Be Able to Set Dress Codes for Customers
In towns all over the country, business owners, town officials and even judges are setting new dress code rules. A Tennessee judge has set conservative guidelines for female lawyers in the courtroom; banks in a Florida town have banned hats, hoods and sunglasses in an attempt to thwart robberies, and a New Jersey shore town has banned overly saggy pants on its boardwalk. 
Most American Adults (64%) agree that business owners should be allowed to establish dress codes for people who enter their facility, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 23% disagree. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leaderboard.
(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 June 11-12, 2013 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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                            June 13, 201324% Trust Federal Government to Do Right Thing Most or All The Time
Talk about a trust deficit.Just one-in-four Likely U.S. Voters (24%) now has confidence that when the federal government acts it’s doing the right thing most or nearly all the time, but that includes just four percent (4%) who say it almost always does the right thing.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 75% of voters disagree, with 47% who trust the federal government to do the right thing only some of the time and 28% who think it rarely or never does the right thing. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge?  Check the leaderboard.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 10-11, 2013 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. 
June 13, 2013NSA Surveillance, If Ungentlemanly, Is Not Illegal By Michael Barone
"Gentlemen do not read each other's mail." That's what Secretary of State Henry Stimson said to explain why he shut down the government's cryptanalysis operations in 1929.    
June 13, 2013House Update: Tiny Movement Toward Republicans By Larry J. Sabato and Kyle Kondik
At this very early point in the 2014 race for the U.S. House, small Republican gains -- as in, less than five seats -- look likelier than a similarly small gain for Democrats. That’s because the Republican targets just look a little better than the Democratic ones.

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                            June 13, 201320% of Workers Have Been Turned Down For A Job in Past Year
One-in-five working Americans say they've been passed over for a job in the past year, but nearly as many say they’ve turned down a job offer in the same period.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 20% of Employed Adults have been turned down for a job in the last 12 months. At the same time, 17% say they have turned down a job offer in the past year. (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 602 Employed Adults was conducted on June 7-8, 2013 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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                            June 12, 201331% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Thirty-one percent (31%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, June 9.
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(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 June 3-9, 2013. 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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                            June 12, 2013Just 39% Think Medicare Is a Good Deal
Fewer voters than ever now see Medicare as a good deal and think they’ll receive all of their promised benefits.  But most still have a favorable opinion of the government insurance program for older Americans. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 39% of Likely Voters believe Medicare is a good deal for working Americans today.  That’s down from 50% in late December and is the lowest level measured since regular tracking began in November 2011. 
Thirty-three percent (33%) don’t think Medicare is a good deal, but another 28% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an iPad:  Take the Rasmussen Challenge! 
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 10-11, 2013 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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                            June 12, 2013Voters Rate Surveillance Controversy Most Serious, IRS Second
Voters now rate the federal government’s secret surveillance of millions of Americans’ phone calls as the most serious controversy in Washington, The Justice Department’s targeting of reporters and the Obama administration’s handling of events surrounding the death of the U.S. ambassador to Libya are seen as the least serious.
Win an iPad:  Take the Rasmussen Challenge! 
(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 June 10-11, 2013 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.
June 12, 2013Terror and Safety By John Stossel
This week, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the National Security Agency's data mining violates our Fourth Amendment right to be "secure in their persons, houses, papers" and is "tyranny that our founders rebelled against." Good for him.  

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                            June 12, 201334% Think Americans Selfish for Putting Economy Ahead of Global Warming
Voters continue to recognize there is a conflict between economic growth and environmental protection and don’t view themselves as selfish for putting the economy first. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters believe there is a conflict between growing the economy and protecting the environment. Twenty-six percent (26%) don’t see any conflict between the two, but just as many (25%) 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 survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 6-7, 2013 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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                            June 11, 201336% Give Obama Positive Marks for Economic Fairness
President Obama continues to draw low marks for his handling of deficit reduction and economic fairness.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 34% of Likely U.S. Voters give Obama good or excellent ratings for his handling of deficit reduction, tying last month’s all-time low in that area.  Forty-five percent (45%) think he is handling deficit reduction issues poorly. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an iPad: Take the Rasmussen Challenge! 
(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 June 8-9, 2013 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.