>Michael Perelman wrote:
>>I mentioned before how much I enjoyed the new book by Rampton and Stauber.
>>Their research on the public relations industry indicates how intensively
>>ideology is cultivated in United States. I think it was in Business Week
>>recently where they had a George Bush dictionary, defining some of the
>>terms that he uses. Some of these are brilliant. I referred earlier to
>>the expression, death tax.
>
>if the liberals were smart or had backbones, they would emulate the
>GOPsters to develop similar tendentious vocabulary. Why not refer to
>the "needs deficit," the fact that the government is ignoring all
>sorts of problems with society (such as infrastructure, child
>poverty, etc.) and say that solving the needs deficit is more
>important than preserving the budget surplus? Why isn't the
>"national (or public) debt" referred to as the "government's debt,"
>as accounting would suggest it should?
>
>Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] & http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine
I think that the problem is not so much ideological vocabulary (by
which Americans aren't fooled, as far as taxes are concerned) as
political program & organization (or lack thereof on the Left).
While opinion polls suggest that the majority of Americans "support"
Bush's tax cut proposal, that is not because they think that the tax
cuts benefit them -- in fact, they know that Bush's tax cuts are only
for the rich. In other words, they are merely acquiescing to it.
***** Federal Budget and Taxes
All data are from nationwide surveys of Americans 18 & older....
Polls listed chronologically.
The Los Angeles Times Poll. March 3-5, 2001. N=1,449 adults
nationwide. MoE ± 3.
"Do you think you or your family would get additional income from the
proposed tax cut or not?" If "Yes": "What would you personally do
with the additional income you would receive from a tax cut? Would
you put all of it in savings, or would you use all of it to buy
things for yourself or your family, or would you do a little of both?"
%
Would not get income 48
Put all in savings 8
Use all to buy things 7
A little of both 26
Don't know 11
"Generally speaking, who do you think would be helped more by the tax
cut: rich people, middle-income people, or poor people?"
%
Rich 53
Middle-income people 19
Poor people 11
All (vol.) 10
Don't know 7
ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Feb. 21-25, 2001. N=1,050 adults
nationwide. MoE ± 3. Field work by TNS Intersearch.
"Which of these do you think should be the top priority for any
surplus money in the federal budget: cut federal income taxes, put it
toward reducing the national debt, strengthen the Social Security
system, or increase spending on other domestic programs such as
education or health care?"
%
Education/Health care spending 35
Strengthen Social Security 25
Cut federal income taxes 22
Reduce the national debt 17
No opinion 1
"Do you think the tax cut Bush has proposed would mainly benefit
lower-income people, middle-income people, upper-income people, or
all people about equally?"
%
Lower 4
Middle 8
Upper 47
All about equally 33
No opinion 8
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by
Princeton Survey Research Associates. Latest: Feb. 14-19, 2001.
N=1,513 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (total sample).
Split sample (N=728, MoE ± 4.5):
"As you may know, the federal government now has a budget surplus.
In your opinion, which ONE of the following should be done with the
available money? Should the money be used [rotate] for a tax cut; to
pay off the national debt more quickly; for increased spending on
domestic programs such as health, education, and the environment; or
to help make the Social Security and Medicare programs financially
sound?"
2/01 2/00
% %
Social Security and Medicare 37 44
Domestic programs 23 24
Tax cut 19 12
Pay off national debt 17 18
Don't know 4 2
Split sample (N=785, MoE ± 4.5):
"Now thinking specifically about the debate over taxes: Do you
approve or disapprove of George W. Bush's tax proposal?"
%
Approve 43
Disapprove 34
Don't know 23
"People have differing views on why we should cut taxes. In your
view, what's the better reason for a national tax cut? To provide
tax relief for people like yourself or to stimulate the economy to
prevent a recession?"
%
To provide tax relief 32
To stimulate the economy 49
Both (vol.) 10
Neither/No good reason (vol.) 5
Don't know 4
"If George W. Bush's tax bill becomes law, do you think the tax cuts
will generally be fair to everyone, or will the tax cuts mainly
benefit some people much more than others?"
%
Generally fair 26
Benefit some more than others 65
Other (vol.) 1
Don't know 8
Asked of those who answered "Benefit some more than others" (N=1,001):
"Who will mainly benefit from the tax cuts: the wealthy, the middle
class, or the poor?"
%
Wealthy 79
Middle class 12
Poor 4
Other (vol.) 1
Don't know 4
Copyright © 2001 THE POLLING REPORT, INC., and polling/sponsoring organizations
Last modified: March 08, 2001
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<http://www.pollingreport.com/budget.htm> *****
Yoshie
