Voters dislike “government,” like what it does
Last year, U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) shared a story from one of his town hall meetings. A constituent stood to demand that Congress keep “government out of my Medicare.” Inglis reminded the constituent that government created and runs Medicare, a truth-telling affront which may help explain why Inglis was defeated by a rightwing tea-party type in the Republican primary a few months ago.
In any event, the constituent’s comment illustrates something I’ve long believed: “government” is just a word for those things voters don’t like. A strong “anti-government” sentiment doesn’t really illustrate that voters want to cut those government programs which benefit them. Alaska, which prides itself on its frontier independence, is the nation’s biggest welfare state.
Now, a new poll has shown just how contradictory voter attitudes are about the role of government and just how difficult it will be for Congress to make significant cuts to government spending. From the WaPo:
A new study by The Washington Post, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University shows that most Americans who say they want more limited government also call Social Security and Medicare “very important.” They want Washington to be involved in schools and to help reduce poverty. Nearly half want the government to maintain a role in regulating health care.
The study suggests that come January, politicians in both parties will confront a challenging and sometimes contradictory reality about what Americans really think about their government. Although Republicans, and many Democrats, have tried to demonize Washington, they must contend with the fact that most major government programs remain enormously popular, including some that politicians have singled out for stiff criticism. . .
Even as Americans generally hold Washington in low regard, they still like much of the work it does. Support for government action on such issues as national defense, health care and fighting poverty remains high, in some cases just where it was a decade ago.Nearly six in 10 say they want their congressional representatives to fight for additional government spending in their districts to spur job creation; fewer (39 percent) want their member of Congress to cut spending, even if that means not as many local jobs. This is a turnabout from September 1994, when 53 percent said they wanted their representative to battle against spending and 42 percent were on the other side.
This oughtta be interesting.
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315 comments Add your comment
college is a five year party with uncle stupid paying the bills
October 11th, 2010
9:41 am
Come November, Ms. Tucker, the voters will tell you how much they like Big Guv. I suspect there will be a profound rejection of Big Guv at the ballot box, with Democrats going down to a resounding defeat..
Harry Callahan
October 11th, 2010
9:41 am
ctucker
October 11th, 2010
8:03 am
“Is someone forcing retirees to accept Medicare?”
No, but someone is forcing the rest of us to fund it.
Cynthia, do you giggle when you write this crap? Because intelligent people sure as heck laugh out loud when they read it.
atlmom
October 11th, 2010
9:42 am
conservative dog: there is a balance between the idiocy you are spewing and what we have now. no one said we have to get rid of all govt…but govt doesn’t do things better than the private sector.
There are inefficiencies, and programs never ever get unfunded or closed. but some things you don’t want the private sector to do, so you deal with certain things that the govt does poorly. This, however, should be limited. Especially when you have the feds doing it – as they then hold the states hostage…
John
October 11th, 2010
9:42 am
@atlmom
I take it you send your 8 YO child to private school. Otherwise, you’re just being a moocher…mooching off of my hard earned money which I should be allowed to keep. Why should I pay taxes to fund public education when I don’t have any children? Let everyone who have children pay all cost in educating their children. If you can’t afford to bear the full cost of educating your child, that would be tough.
Tray
October 11th, 2010
9:44 am
Very easy discussion here!! The UNEDUCATED want more government because they are unable to take care of themselves and need a mommy to do it for them! The EDUCATED people know that government was the whole problem to begin with, and won’t forget it! Ever seen the movie IDIOCRACY?? I suggest you watch it, because that’s what will happen with Democrats in charge! “Welcome to Costco, We love you”!
JKL2
October 11th, 2010
9:44 am
john- What would have happened if someone was trapped in the home? Would it be ok to let someone burn to death if a bill was not paid on time?
But they weren’t. Common sense does prevail some of the time. As far as the death panels, you’ll have to wait for the full implementation of obamacare. Didn’t you read all the wonderfull things in the bill since they passed it?
seabeau
October 11th, 2010
9:45 am
“MOST PEOPLE” DONT PAY TAXES!!!!
Monica Kaufman
October 11th, 2010
9:46 am
In tonight’s top story, Kamchak asserts that Obama’s poop doesn’t stink, and claims he can scientifically prove it. Film at 11:00.
Billybob
October 11th, 2010
9:46 am
After the 2012 elections, I think I know where the community organizer in chief can gain employment……..at the desk right next to you Tucker. His comments would be even more comical than yours…..because he can ‘lower the sea levels’. My guess is that you believed him too, and still do huh?
atlmom
October 11th, 2010
9:49 am
@john: you make no sense. I pay taxes, and we should all want ALL children to be educated. There is no discussion there. I don’t understand where you get what you are saying from what I wrote.
EVERYONE should want an educated electorate. There shouldn’t even be a discussion. Really. However, our political class clearly doesn’t want educated voters, but that’s another discussion.
Billybob
October 11th, 2010
9:49 am
Any thoughts about our ‘libeling’ President Tucker?
atlmom
October 11th, 2010
9:50 am
@seabeau: that is not true. most people pay taxes. Many people don’t pay INCOME taxes. most people have NO IDEA what they pay in taxes because the govt is very good at hiding it but in everything you buy, there is a tax, even if it’s hidden, and we all pay much more in federal taxes than we even know.
Aquagirl
October 11th, 2010
9:51 am
Un-real, knock off the patronizing. I don’t live in a klan compound, so STFU. I’d love to deport Nathan Deal’s family in exchange for any random set of real hard-working Americans, for crissakes.
Maybe you should spend a few minutes asking your AA friends why they voted in 2008. Or spend more than 15 seconds of rational thought on the subject.
John
October 11th, 2010
9:54 am
@JKL2
There we go with death panels again. Think about it for a minute. Didn’t we have “death panels” before ObamaCare? Private companies chose who they cover and what they will cover. If you think before ObamaCare that health care was between you and your doctor, you better think again. It’s business people employed by health insurance companies that make decisions on your health care…not doctors. Insurance companies spend millions on going through applications and medical records to try to find any reason for not covering medical cost when those they cover get sick.
kayaker 71
October 11th, 2010
9:57 am
If the federal government could prove to the voter that it is efficient, trustworthy, credible and honest, I don’t think that this present anti-government sentiment would be so strong. This new NSA chief, Donilon, used to be a federal lobbyist and was the right hand man to Franklin Raines at Fannie who split with 190M in company (federal) monies after cooking the books. This kind of credibility gap infuriates the electorate and the trust level for this kind of government stooge is zero. But Jones wouldn’t play the Bozo liberal game so they got rid of him. Government could fu** up a two car funeral and the public knows it. The National Highway fund is in receivership, the postal service is broke, Amtrack can’t seem to make any money, Fannie and Freddie are asking for another 160B in bailout money after making some of the poorest decisions of the century, social security has been robbed of all of it’s funds to pay for insane federal spending and the Dept of Energy, funded in the Carter administration employs 16K people, has a budget of gazillions of our tax dollars and we are more energy dependent than we were then.
This is what the electorate opposes. It just seems that when government gets involved in an undertaking, it comes out inept, fails financially and costs twice as much as originally planned. There are 545 people in our government who guide this country, 435 Congressmen/women, 100 Senators, one President and 9 Supreme Court Justices…… the public doesn’t trust any of them. That’s what we object to, CT.
Tray
October 11th, 2010
9:58 am
HEY-i see a lot of healthcare debate, allow me to end this really quick…
HEALTHCARE IS A PRIVILEDGE, NOT A RIGHT!!! You have to pay for it, and it should NEVER have been gauranteed for anyone!! If you want a 50″ LCD TV, do you get it, or have to work for it?? Same thing here…a hospital is a business, not a welfare retreat!! Doctors work for money, it’s that simple. Find me a doctor that does everythig for free!! They do charity work, but they work for money…you find a doctor where everything is free, I’ll find another man receiving a benefit from the government!
TnGelding
October 11th, 2010
9:58 am
Just shows how stupid most of us truly are. But hey, the Falcons won.
Un-real
October 11th, 2010
9:58 am
Aquagirl, typical, your true colors are showing… STFU, wow, that’s really insightful … Should I stoop to your level, no, I don’t think so …
Pablo
October 11th, 2010
9:58 am
Cynthia:
Government, in all its shapes and forms, is a necessary evil. Some want to keep this necessary evil under control before its grows too large and too intrusive, while others want it to invade all areas of society so it removes the personal responsibility component to their lives.
There are some mandated duties and responsibilities of the government by the Constitution, but our history is full of instances where politicians from all sides have taken advantage of the apathy and the ignorance of the average voter to allow government to grow way beyond what the Constitution allows.
It is incumbent on the voter to really examine what is government doing for (or to) him or her, and then demand, if necessary, from their elected representatives to strictly adhere to Constitutional mandates.
This current government is way to bloated, way too intrusive and way too detached from what it is supposed to be and to do, and it is time to clean house (and senate, and white house…)
Angry As Hell
October 11th, 2010
9:59 am
All of these idiots who want to see cut after cut in government expenditures, are the first ones to cry like little babies when they have to stand in longer lines to get a driver’s license or complain when there aren’t enough state troopers on the road or prisons and prisoners become poorly supervised because of reductions in force and furloughs. You want government cuts, fine, but don’t complain when you can’t get what you need or want as soon as you think you should.
Billybob
October 11th, 2010
10:03 am
John,
The difference is where Obamacare will be taking us. When Obamacare decides ,down the line, that the procedure we need is too expensive, we will then not even be allowed to pay for it ourselves, like we can do right now. Open your eyes because that, my friend, is a death panel. And that is single-payer universal healthcare, which is exactly what Obama has said he wanted and is exactly what Obama has set in motion.
John
October 11th, 2010
10:03 am
@atlmom
“@john: you make no sense. I pay taxes, and we should all want ALL children to be educated. ”
Exactly atlmon, shouldn’t we ALL want people to have health insurance so they can have access to health care. Should we ALL want insurance programs such as unemployment insurance and social security, or should we ALL want people who become unemployed through no fault of their own to become homeless? Or someone who possibly lost their retirement savings due to fluctuations in the stock market to become homeless?
My whole point, just as this article is, when people call for less government, they only want to get rid of programs which they themselves do not benefit from.
travelingman141
October 11th, 2010
10:05 am
Ok you silly little Tucktard, here’s the real truth. NO, WE DO NOT LIKE BIG GOVERMENT! Riddle me this libtards. How can someone who puts so much in to the system, like a system that is corrupt and ineffective; only to get so little in return? It doesn’t make sense!
Do we really need Social Security, Medicare, and Welfare? The answer is NO! These and other “entitlement” programs do nothing but enslave us! The people who we elect in office know this and will continue to use us to fill their pockets. We the people need to start taking power away from the slime ball politicians, both Democrats and Republicans.
Why? Because they are one and the same!
To quote Mike Church: “What are six federal agencies at the both of the Potomac? A good start…”
Let’s see what’s said…
George W
October 11th, 2010
10:05 am
Once again CT displays her ignorance and left wing views through this blog…Tell me where in the constitution it states that the government is responsible to provide healthcare to all citizens and non-citizens? Good luck with that one.
Time For Honesty
October 11th, 2010
10:07 am
Let’s be candid. Neither Mr. Obama nor Republican leaders are leveling with us. The affects of this deep recession are here to stay for awhile. This deep recession aka Great Depression Lite was worse than all the recent recessions combined. On top of that we have massive housing foreclosures. There is no magic politician from either party who can create policies to place things back on the shelf instantly. The Republicans are favored with an angry and impatient electorate, however. Middle class consumers are the backbone of our economy- not tax cuts skewed upward. Unless middle class consumers somehow go on an extended shopping frenzy not much will change. Middle class consumers now realize they overextended themselves over the last couple of decades, and now they are worried because the great meltdown of 08 scared them to death. I have yet to hear any politician admit the mind boggling amount of capital that has evaporated from not just our economy but world economies over the period 07-09. Both parties do have good intentions and are not to be demonized because we favor one over the. One party glosses over an ugly truth. The other party taps into our kissing cousins-anger and fear-and trots out the one-trick pony, tax cuts. My fellow Americans buckle up. This will be a long and bumpy ride. One party does invoke the middle class often, but is not gaining much traction by doing so. The other party says government should get out of the way. Get out of the way and do what? Without a referee do you honesly expect those who yield financial clout to create and environment whereby they will ensure much flows to the middle class? The chasm between the have- plentys and the have- somes is growing wider and wider. Never in the history of this nation has so much public wealth flowed upward. Unless that is reversed the middle class’s purchasing power will forever shrink.
RevPettibone
October 11th, 2010
10:09 am
Even before Alaska entered into the union, it was turned into a “welfare state” in order for many of the native Americans residing there to get what they needed to exist.
John
October 11th, 2010
10:10 am
@Tray
“HEALTHCARE IS A PRIVILEDGE, NOT A RIGHT!!! ”
Tray, everyone already had access to healthcare…it’s called charity hospitals paid for by tax payers. One of the problems with this is those who do not have insurance goes to emergency rooms when they get sick which cost much more.
Kamchak
October 11th, 2010
10:10 am
“MOST PEOPLE” DONT PAY TAXES!!!!
Someone just told a whopper of a lie.
JKL2
October 11th, 2010
10:11 am
john- Private companies chose who they cover and what they will cover
Yes, it’s called free enterprise. If you don’t like it, buy better insurance. It’s the government takeover of another industry that is the problem. It’s somehow my responsibility to buy you insurance that is better than my own now.
John
October 11th, 2010
10:14 am
@Billybob
“The difference is where Obamacare will be taking us. When Obamacare decides ,down the line, that the procedure we need is too expensive, we will then not even be allowed to pay for it ourselves, like we can do right now.”
Please point out to me exactly where in the law it states this. Give me the page number and paragraph where I can find it. Do you know where it is written in the law or are you just spewing what Sarah Palin and other Republican politicians have said?
JKL2
October 11th, 2010
10:17 am
Angry- get a driver’s license or complain when there aren’t enough state troopers on the road or prisons
Those are all state and local issues. Has nothing to do with our apologizer in chief wasting $ Trillions.
Good Grief
October 11th, 2010
10:18 am
George at 10:01 – “Tell me where in the constitution it states that the government is responsible to provide healthcare to all citizens and non-citizens?”
You have to remember that these people actually believe it is the job of the FEDERAL government to oversee and fund education as well. That’s not in the Constitution either.
But many of them don’t know what’s in the Constitution. Rep. John Conyers cited the “Good and Welfare Clause” as Constitutional justification of ObamaCare. There’s no such thing as the “Good and Welfare Clause.” Pete Stark has said that “The federal government can do most anything in this country,” a statement that is discredited by this little thing called the 10th Amendment.
Shawny
October 11th, 2010
10:19 am
Of course they like what it does. Who doesn’t want a handout?!?
The problem is that no one wants the bill when it comes due, either in higher taxes than necessary or increased debt.
Freebies are great until they really aren’t free.
Un-real
October 11th, 2010
10:20 am
Time for Honesty, well spoken (written) …
Aquagirl
October 11th, 2010
10:24 am
Oh, look, un-real drops the condescending diversity troll act for the highfalutin’ morally superior troll act. Wow, we’ve never seen that on the internets.
Obama’s imminent smackdown, courtesy of his deserting base—has quite the burr under some folk’s bum. I understand it’s upsetting in a personal way. Have a drink, relax, and wait for the Nathan Deal crowd to bankrupt us. Like I said, not much we can do. Those voters are simply the polar opposites of the Hope ‘n Change crowd. And frankly, they’re a much bigger crowd.
John
October 11th, 2010
10:24 am
“It’s somehow my responsibility to buy you insurance that is better than my own now.”
First, JKL2…you are not buying my insurance. I pay 100% for my insurance. Secondly, health insurance have been known to drop people after they get sick…including for things that is suppose to be covered but they best treatment is possibly considered “experimental” or for other reasons. Of course, if that happens, good luck on finding another company to cover you not that you have a pre-existing condition. Health insurance companies are just like any other company…they want to maximize revenue and minimize expenses.
Angry As Hell
October 11th, 2010
10:24 am
Travelingman141—-Many of us don’t consider Social Security and Medicare “entitlements.” “Entitlements,” Hell!! I’ve been paying into them for over 40 years, so they’re mine. I don’t want to leave it up to some Wall Street thief, in cahoots with so-called conservatives, to invest my payments into another money-maker for some greedy broker, who doesn’t bear the impact of any losses of MY money if his/her choice of investments is wrong. If you hate Social Security so much, reach into your wallet and pull out your SS card and tear it up. Then write a letter to the Social Security Administration and tell them you don’t ever want to collect your money when you “retire.”
atlmom
October 11th, 2010
10:24 am
@John: okay , perhaps unemployment ins. should exist, but congress just increased the number of weeks that people can collect it to 99 weeks.
Do you think that’s okay? Is it that if a program is okay, that it should never have anyone say anything bad about any program no matter what the govt does? Don’t you think that’s a little crazy? There are plenty of programs that seem okay, but seriously – the govt keeps way overstepping its grounds. We the people are busy trying to pay for the darn govt, and have been poor in overseeing the govt – so it’s come to this. It’s absurd, but we clearly can’t trust these people to put stops on programs, they only look at it as to how many votes they will get if XXX program exists or is expanded. Should we NEVER question ANYTHING because there might 1% of govt programs working properly?
are there no prisons; are there no workhouses?
October 11th, 2010
10:31 am
you people all complain too much. you don’t know how good you have it.
your greed and envy will ruin your little lives.
Libertarian
October 11th, 2010
10:32 am
@John
The gov’t doesn’t pay for unemployment, employers do in the form of FUTA and SUTA taxes.
“should we ALL want people who become unemployed through no fault of their own to become homeless?”
God forbid they actually SAVE money in case they become unemployed. But I can tell from your posts that you don’t really believe in personal responsibility. Like most liberals your mantra is “the government will take care of me!”
Good Grief
October 11th, 2010
10:33 am
Why is it when animals are greedy it’s called “survival of the fittest,” yet when humans are greedy they’re called evil? Don’t you liberals believe in evolution? Should not only the strongest survive?
George W
October 11th, 2010
10:34 am
CT….can you please tell me what you think the job or role of the federal government is?
JKL2
October 11th, 2010
10:34 am
john- you are not buying my insurance
Glad to hear it. Maybe you could just start paying for mine since you’re he11 bent on picking up the tab for an extra 30 million people.
I’ll stick with my original comment. If you want better insurance buy it. If you’re having trouble with your insurance entitlements, sue them. Just leave me out of it.
Angry As Hell
October 11th, 2010
10:37 am
JKL2—I know exactly what government-level functions those are. My only point is whether it’s local, state or federal level, there are a lot of cry babies out there who someohow believe government ought to be severely cut. But when they want to access those services and can’t, they bitch and moan about bureaucrats and all other imagined evils. We all have a right (and obligation) to demand that government services are run as effectively and efficiently as possible, but we don’t ahve a right to expect to run at some optimum level if we’ve cut the guts out of it.
quod erat demonstrandum
October 11th, 2010
10:41 am
George W.
It sure isn’t to be a good steward of our tax moneys.
CT I am sure believes everyone should have a living income – whether they work or not.
I am sure that given the money, all lazy bums would turn productive – even those in mid-town
I am confident that CT believes that company making profits are evil and should be eliminated in favor of collectives.
In other words – everything we are not.
Angry As Hell
October 11th, 2010
10:42 am
JKL2 — One other note. Did you complain about the trillions being spent by the Bush adminsitration to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan when there was no money budgeted for those costs? There was no money on the books for that cost. How about Medicare Part D? Did you complain about the billions that cost us when Bush and the Republican Congress passed that law without any money budgeted for it? I’d love to hear your answer.
are there no prisons; are there no workhouses?
October 11th, 2010
10:42 am
let’s suspend all taxes and all services for one year and see where that gets us. we’ll all be rich.
quod erat demonstrandum
October 11th, 2010
10:43 am
Angry As Hell,
Too much of our taxes are sent to DC and then they redistribute it back to the states – after taking there cut.
If Georgia sends $100 to DC they might get $80 back to fund some federal mandate – It would be cheaper for Georgia to be able to keep it and use it themselves without the federal middle man.
are there no prisons; are there no workhouses?
October 11th, 2010
10:44 am
georgia is a welfare state
are there no prisons; are there no workhouses?
October 11th, 2010
10:44 am
as is all of dixie