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                            March 1, 201365% Say Ban Lobbyists for Firms That Live Off Government
Politico, an inside-the-Beltway publication, reported this week that big business groups did not join in the collective panic coming from official Washington over automatic reductions in the growth of federal spending. It did note an exception, however, among defense firms that are dependent upon government. “Northrop Grumman, for instance, derived 90 percent of its 2012 revenue from the U.S. government. The company recently warned the sequester could cause a new recession and 2 million job losses.” 
Voters are clearly unhappy with a system that many see as crony capitalism. As a result, 65% believe that companies that earn most of their revenue from the government should be banned from hiring lobbyists. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 15% of voters nationwide oppose such a ban. 
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                            March 1, 2013Let's Speak Plain English About Spending Cuts By Scott Rasmussen
To borrow a phrase, Mainstream America and Washington's Political Class have become two nations separated by a common language. This gap was highlighted by a recent Pew Research Center poll showing that "for 18 of 19 programs tested, majorities want either to increase spending or maintain it at current levels."

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                            February 28, 2013Americans See Honesty, Good Parenting As Tops When It Comes to Success
People define success in many ways, but Americans consider being honest and trustworthy and being a good parent at the top of the list. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 88% of American Adults consider being seen as honest and trustworthy Very Important to success. Nearly as many (87%) say the same of being a good parent. (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 February 25-26, 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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                            February 28, 201334% Say Promotions, Pay Raises Given To Best Workers
Few Americans believe promotions and pay raises in most companies are given to the best workers, and even fewer think that's the case in government agencies. But working adults believe a bit more strongly that the best workers are rewarded.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 34% of American Adults say the best workers are given promotions and pay raises in most companies. Twenty-four percent (24%) think politics is the deciding factor, while five percent (5%) think seniority is the reason. Twelve percent (12%) say something else, and 26% 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 February 23-24, 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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                            February 28, 2013Only 6% Rate News Media As Very Trustworthy
Most voters still get their news from television and consider the news reported by the media generally trustworthy.
Fifty-six percent (56%) of Likely U.S. Voters say they get most of their news from TV, including 32% who get it from cable news networks and 24% who get it from traditional network news. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that another 25% use the Internet as their main source of news, while only 10% still rely on print newspapers. Seven percent (7%) get most of their news from radio. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in the new Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leaderboard to find out. 
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 26-27, 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.
February 28, 2013While Republicans Warn Against 'Greece,' That Is Exactly Where Austerity Budgeting Will Lead U.S. By Joe Conason
Indebted America is in danger of turning into destitute Greece, or so congressional Republicans and conservative commentators have been warning us for years now. For many reasons, this is an absurd comparison -- but it may not always be quite so ridiculous if Washington's advocates of austerity get their way
The Republicans actually want to impose Greek-style budget slashing on the United States. And the federal budget sequestration scheduled to take effect next week could represent the first serious step here toward the kind of fiscal policies that have proved so ruinous not only in Greece -- raising unemployment, destroying hope and encouraging extremism -- but across Europe.
February 28, 2013Discord and Disarray Won't Help Obama Legacy By Michael Barone
Barack Obama is said to believe that he can win the political fight over the sequester. That's certainly the conventional wisdom. 

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                            February 28, 201349% Rate Free Market Policies More Important Than Closing Income Gap
Voters rate policies that promote the free market as more important than ones that reduce the income gap between rich and poor, but Republicans and Democrats don’t see eye to eye. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 83% of all Likely U.S. Voters view economic policies that allow and encourage free market competition to be at least somewhat important, including 47% who regard them as Very Important. Just eight percent (8%) say free market-oriented policies are not very or Not At All Important. (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 February 24-25, 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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                            February 27, 201334% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Thirty-four percent (34%) of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, February 24.
The latest finding is down four points from the previous week.
(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 February 18-24, 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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                            February 27, 201386% Think Fair Employers Attract Best Workers
Most Americans (86%) agree that companies that treat their employees fairly attract the best workers.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just five percent (5%) disagree, while another nine percent (9%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an IPad: Take the Rasmussen Challenge!  Answers will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 27.
(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 national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on February 23-24, 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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                            February 27, 201354% Say Raising Taxes More Likely To Hurt Economy Than Spending Cuts
Most voters continue to see raising taxes as worse for the nation’s economy than cutting government spending. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% of Likely Voters think raising taxes is more likely to hurt the economy than cutting government spending. Twenty-seven percent (27%) see cutting spending as worse, while 11% say neither will hurt the economy. (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 February 24-25, 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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                            February 27, 2013Only 41% View Economy As Fair to Those Willing to Work Hard
Most Americans may believe a middle-class lifestyle is within reach, but they still question the fairness of the economy to those who are willing to work hard. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 41% of Likely U.S. Voters think the U.S. economy is at least somewhat fair to people who are willing to work hard, while 53% disagree. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an IPad: Take the Rasmussen Challenge! Answers will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 27.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 24-25, 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.
February 27, 2013Libertarians' Awkward Bedfellows By John Stossel
Last week, Conservative pundit Ann Coulter told me and a thousand young libertarians that we libertarians are puss- -- well, she used slang for a female body part.
We were in Washington, D.C., at the Students for Liberty conference, taping my TV show, and she didn't like my questions about her opposition to gay marriage and drug legalization.
"We're living in a country that is 70 percent socialist," she says. "The government takes 60 percent of your money. They take care of your health care, your pensions ... who you can hire ... and you (libertarians) want to suck up to your little liberal friends and say, oh, we want to legalize pot? ... If you were a little more manly, you'd tell liberals what your position on employment discrimination is."

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                            February 27, 201348% Think Health Care Law Will Hurt Economy More Than Spending Cuts, 29% Disagree
Despite the inside-the-Beltway warnings about the economic impact of the impending sequester spending cuts, voters are more worried about what President Obama’s new health care law will do to the economy. Forty-eight percent (48%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the health care law is more likely to hurt the economy than cutting government spending. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 29% believe spending cuts will hurt the economy more. Fifteen percent (15%) think neither will hurt economically. (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 February 24-25, 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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                            February 26, 201346% Think Obama's Policies Are Too Hostile Toward Small Business
Voters continue to feel President Obama is friendlier toward big business than small business.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just two percent (2%) of Likely U.S. Voters believe the president's policies are too friendly to small business, compared to 19% who say they are too friendly to big business. Thirty-four percent (34%) think his policies are too hostile toward big business, but nearly half (46%) believe that to be true of his policies toward small business. (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 February 24-25, 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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                            February 26, 201386% Believe Individuals Make Their Own Success
Most Americans do not believe it’s possible for anyone in the United States to work hard and get rich, but they feel overwhelmingly that good decisions and hard work are likely to lead to a middle-class lifestyle.  
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 88% of American Adults think it’s at least somewhat likely that someone who works hard and makes good decisions will enjoy a middle-class lifestyle, including 38% who say it’s Very Likely.  Just 10% believe this is not very or not at all likely.  (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.
This national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on February 23-24, 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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                            February 26, 201367% Think Private Companies, Not Government Help, Will Lead to Non-Gas Cars
Most Americans believe the free market, not government subsidies, will produce the eventual replacement for gas-powered cars.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 67% of American Adults believe that when a replacement for gas-powered cars is eventually developed, it is more likely to be developed by private companies. Just 19% believe it is more likely to be developed through government subsidies and investments. Fourteen percent (14%) more 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 February 21-22, 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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                            February 26, 201345% Think Deficit Should Be Reduced By Spending Cuts Alone
A plurality of voters continues to believe spending cuts alone are the best way to reduce the federal deficit. But even among those who favor a “balanced approach” of tax hikes and spending cuts instead, a sizable number want more emphasis on spending cuts.
Forty-five percent (45%) of Likely U.S. Voters think, generally speaking, that the long-term federal budget deficit should be reduced by cutting spending, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Only six percent (6%) feel the deficit should be reduced by raising taxes alone. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an IPad: Take the Rasmussen Challenge!
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 24-25, 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.
February 26, 2013Price-gouging in 'Free Market' Medicine By Froma Harrop
When folks pan the Affordable Care Act for being nearly 3,000 pages long, here's a sensible response: It could have been done in a page and a half if it simply declared that Medicare would cover everyone.
The concept of Medicare for All was pushed by a few lonely liberals. And it would have been, ironically, the most conservative approach to bringing down health care costs while maintaining quality.

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                            February 26, 2013Most Voters Still Understand Sequester Cuts Aren’t Cuts in Current Spending
The longer and louder the political debate in Washington, D.C. gets, it seems the less voters know. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that nearly one-in-four Likely U.S. Voters (23%) now think the automatic government spending cuts scheduled to take effect on Friday will cut the current level of federal spending. That’s up six points from 17% at the beginning of this month.
Fifty-four percent (54%) recognize that the so-called sequester cuts will merely reduce the growth of future spending. That’s down slightly from 58% in early February. Twenty-three percent (23%) still 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 February 22-23, 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.