The United States has defense treaties with a number of nations around the globe, and Rasmussen Reports is asking Americans periodically how they feel about going to bat for these countries if they're attacked. On the latest list of four nations, most Americans are only willing to defend one country, South Korea.
In a very early look at Election 2012, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama are essentially even.
Florida and Missouri have already passed measures that require some form of drug testing during the welfare application process, with Florida now requiring all applicants to be tested. A majority of voters nationwide agree with automatically testing all welfare applicants for illegal drug use.
In Atlanta, the teachers cheat on exams so the students don't have to. It doesn't raise the knowledge level of our children, but it gets the school system past the next exam -- even as the system continues its death spiral. We will know the spiral has reached its terminal station when there is full unionized teacher employment and complete student illiteracy.
For weeks, the signs were flashing on every freeway in Los Angeles: 405 closed between 10 and 110/July 16-17. EXPECT BIG DELAYS.
If the government’s got to be involved in health care decisions, most voters think it’ll be cheaper if it’s states rather than the feds.
If Washington fails to raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling and default follows, the results won't mirror that of L.A.'s "Carmageddon" weekend (when Angelenos stayed home in response to a major freeway closure and then blamed the media for over-hyping the story). A default on the federal debt means interest rates will rise, the cost of borrowing will balloon -- and the only sure outcome will be that voters will blame Republicans.
President Obama now earns his lowest level of support yet against a generic Republican candidate in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup.
Confidence that home values will go up over the coming year has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded.
More voters continue to favor tougher laws against employers who hire illegal immigrants than against landlords who rent to them. But support for strong sanctions against both employers and landlords are at record highs.
Voters think less government red tape and more competition are the best ways to bring down health care costs.
Among the Republicans vying for their party's presidential nomination, only former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson had the self-respect to denounce the ludicrous "Marriage Vow" pledge. Such pledges are a means through which small interest groups can make candidates crawl. The intimidation comes from their highly engaged members, who can affect the outcome of unrepresentative political contests -- the upcoming Iowa caucuses being a good example.
Those trying to figure out the mood of the American voter right now are bound to be scratching their heads. Last November, the voters threw Republicans into Congress in almost record numbers with a mandate to slash government spending and keep taxes as low as possible.
When politicians talk about cutting government spending and raising taxes on the wealthy, voters are skeptical about the spending cuts and expect middle class taxes to go up, too.
As uncertain and unruly and disheveled as the debt-ceiling debate may be, there are still good grounds to reach a deal. It could help the economy. It could keep the policy ball moving in the direction of smaller government. It could add a key business tax incentive for economic growth. And it could even stabilize the dollar.
For the second week in a row, Republicans hold a six-point lead over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot, this time for the week ending Sunday, July 17.
The U.S. Department of Energy says that new light bulbs will cost more up front but save money in the long run. That, plus expected energy savings, has led to government regulations that will effectively ban the sale of traditional light bulbs starting next year.
Nearly one-half of Americans now think the United States can make major cuts in defense spending without putting the country in danger. They believe even more strongly that there’s no risk in cutting way back on what America spends to defend other countries.
Most voters still favor repeal of the national health care law and believe it will increase the federal deficit at the very time President Obama and Congress are trying to find ways to make significant cuts in government spending.
It's hard to keep up with all the arguments and proposals in the debt limit struggle. But what's at stake is fundamental.
