Tuesday, January 26, 2010

It's the Economy -- As If We Didn't Know

Someone has to tell Obama the US economy can create a lot of jobs if it is set free to create them. But if we are going to stifle job growth due to unfounded claims of risks to the atmosphere that will take 100 years to affect us, then we have submitted our future to the whims of the cranks and nuts who fail to understand that it takes cheap energy to build a nation and to advance the world.

Public's Priorities for 2010: Economy, Jobs, Terrorism
Energy Concerns Fall, Deficit Concerns Rise

Summary of Findings


As Barack Obama begins his second year in office, the public’s priorities for the president and Congress remain much as they were one year ago. Strengthening the nation’s economy and improving the job situation continue to top the list. And, in the wake of the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack on a Detroit-bound airliner, defending the country from future terrorist attacks also remains a top priority.

At the same time, the public has shifted the emphasis it assigns to two major policy issues: dealing with the nation’s energy problem and reducing the budget deficit. About half (49%) say that dealing with the nation’s energy problem should be a top priority, down from 60% a year ago. At the same time, there has been a modest rise in the percentage saying that reducing the budget deficit should be a top priority, from 53% to 60%.

Other policy priorities show little change from a year ago. For example, despite the ongoing debate over health care reform, about as many now call reducing health care costs a top priority (57%) as did so in early 2009 (59%). In fact, the percentage rating health care costs a top priority is lower now than it was in both 2008 (69%) and 2007 (68%).

In addition, the percentage placing top priority on providing health insurance to the uninsured stands at 49%. That is little changed from a year ago and off its high of 61% in January 2001. Notably, there is now a wider partisan gap in opinion about this issue than for any of the other 20 issues in the survey: fully 75% of Democrats rate providing health insurance to the uninsured as a top priority compared with just 26% of Republicans.

More than six-in-ten Americans say securing the Social Security system (66%) and securing the Medicare system (63%) should be top priorities for Obama and Congress. About as many (65%) say that improving the educational system should be a top policy priority. For all three items, public evaluations are not significantly different than they were one year ago.

In the wake of the financial crisis, the public does not place increased financial regulation among its top policy priorities. Fewer than half (45%) say stricter regulation of financial institutions should be a top priority for the president and Congress.

Budget Deficit and Energy

The priority given to reducing the budget deficit has risen seven points over the last year; in early 2009, 53% of the public called deficit reduction a top priority compared with 60% in the current survey. Both Republicans (+10 points) and Democrats (+8 points) have become more likely to say this is a top priority.

Global Warming and the Environment

Dealing with global warming ranks at the bottom of the public’s list of priorities; just 28% consider this a top priority, the lowest measure for any issue tested in the survey. Since 2007, when the item was first included on the priorities list, dealing with global warming has consistently ranked at or near the bottom. Even so, the percentage that now says addressing global warming should be a top priority has fallen 10 points from 2007, when 38% considered it a top priority. Such a low ranking is driven in part by indifference among Republicans: just 11% consider global warming a top priority, compared with 43% of Democrats and 25% of independents.

Jobs, Economy and Terrorism Defense

Strengthening the nation’s economy, improving the job situation and defending the country from future terrorist attacks are far-and-away the top three policy priorities for the public. No other item comes within 14 points. Last year, both the economy and jobs edged ahead of defending the nation against terrorism as top priorities. In 2008, the economy and terrorism defense were virtually tied atop the priority list, while somewhat fewer people expressed concern over jobs. In 2006 and 2007, the public was more concerned about terrorism than it was about economic issues.

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4 Comments:

Blogger SNAKE HUNTERS said...

Sir No-Slappz is Right-On; and our economy and jobs are directly tied
to Energy-Independence from an unfriendly OPEC !

While Obama's Progressive Government spend billions on Solar & Wind to produce 3 to 4 percent of our requirements (fews jobs there) the solution rests with nuclear power generation for homes & business, plus the necessary transmission lines.

Also, we have abundant natural gas to power our truck and bus fleets, and tapping proven oil reserves in ANWAR, plus off-shore drilling...

now that's real job-creation! - reb
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12:14 AM  
Blogger SNAKE HUNTERS said...

Wednesday, Jan 27th - 9 PM Eastern
__________________________________

Barack H. Obama delivered his 70 minute "State of The Nation" Speech.

Mostly, it was a cheer-leader effort, an address To Prop-up his sagging Progressive Base, for the first 14 minutes.

Then a surprise; Obama asked for a new jobs creation stimulus bill of 30 billion for business loans; plus a tax credit for small businesses - Good, give the man a C+ on that one!

On Energy - a call for 'innovation' (non-specific) of battery technology, solar, nuclear power generation, bio-fuels, natural gas, drilling off-shore.

All wonderful proposals, but non-specific, and with no date-lines mentioned on any of the above.

American Exports - "We must seek more foreign markets for our goods" - Sounds Great!

Education - Proposed a national competition, to reward and revitalize colleges & universities. Yep!

Banking - More "Affordable Mortgage Loans"...What's this?

Another round of disasterous "Sub-Prime Loans" for Barney Frank & Chris Dodd's FannieMae & FreddieMac? More Bank Bail-outs?

Look Out Folks!

ObamaHealthCare (one sixth of the economy) - It's a Dead Horse, but progressives are still pushing it, and ignoring the political beating they took in Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. Also, not a word about necessary 'Tort Reform'...to protect doctors & hospitals against those frivolous lawsuits that drive physicians into early retirement!

More "Openness"..and Public Disclosure Promised on those "Ear-marks" attached to submitted bills;

Did you hear that, Speaker Pelosi?
>
>
He concluded with..."God Bless America." - reb
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12:48 AM  
Blogger no_slappz said...

reb,

In his State of the Union address, Obama took a couple of steps forward and at least three to the rear.

It pleased me to hear him say we should explore opportunities to drill for oil in offshore areas and that we should restart our nuclear power program.

But almost every OTHER plan or idea he mentioned requires more federal spending.

For some reason he refuses to admit that giving college-tuition tax credits to to parents of college students means the colleges can RAISE their tuition by the amount of the tax credit.

He said he supports ending capital gains taxes on "small businesses." That is a meaningless statement to knowledgeable people.

However, it was heavily applauded by EVERYONE at the meeting. Obama should realize the reason for the support -- he promised to ELIMINATE a tax.

He promised more healthcare. That's good news with respect to health. But it is bad news with respect to taxpayers -- the people who will get the bill.

I could go on all day. In fact, I will probably write a post on this topic.

Meanwhile, Obama showed his deep partisanship and his avoidance of reality when he compared the state of the nation when he took office to the time -- in January 2001 -- when Bush was inaugurated.

If you listen to Obama, 9/11 never happened. In Obama's version, Bush came into office with a budget surplus and left office after creating huge budget deficits.

Listeners and viewers were left to think the excessive spending occurred simply and only because Bush was bored and figured some heavy spending would liven things up while he was stuck in the White House.

Oh, by the way, when Obama mentioned his plans to get Iran to give up plans for building an atomic bomb, he scared those Iranians so much I could hear them laughing all the way from Tehran.

More than ever, he seems like a muslim terrorist sympathizer.

6:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's slappz, stupid!

8:14 PM  

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