Most Americans Oppose Second Stimulus and Using Bailout Funds for States

Rasmussen Reports ^ | December 8, 2009

[reaganaut1]

President Obama hopes to use money still unspent from the $787-billion economic stimulus plan to fight the nation’s 10% unemployment rate, and one of the ideas on the table is to channel money to states to keep them from laying off public employees.

But a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 22% of Americans favor providing federal bailout funds to states with serious financial problems. Fifty-eight percent (58%) oppose giving bailout money to financially troubled states.

On top of that, 56% of Americans oppose the passage of another economic stimulus package this year. While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional Democrats are hoping to spend more to combat unemployment, just 33% favor another stimulus plan.

Thirty-six percent (36%) of voters believe the first stimulus plan passed in February has helped the U.S. economy, but 34% say it has hurt the economy.

Most Americans (53%) believe the U.S. economy will be helped more by decisions made by business leaders to help their own businesses grow rather than by decisions made by government officials. Just 29% say decisions made by government officials to help the economy grow will do more.

By a 59% to 24% margin, voters believe that an increase in government spending will hurt the economy.

Voters hold these views at a time when they don’t expect the economy to turn around soon. Looking ahead to a year from now, 67% expect unemployment will be the same or higher than it is today. But, 76% still prefer a free market economy over a government-managed approach.

In fact, 51% of voters say more jobs would be created if the remaining spending planned in the first stimulus plan was cancelled right away.

Investors are much more strongly opposed to state bailouts and another stimulus plan than non-investors.

[reaganaut1]

In August, Rasmussen found 71% Oppose Teacher Pay Cuts and Furloughs To Help Budgets.

It is difficult to balance state budgets while leaving education spending untouched.

[dirtboy]

Robert Reich was on Marketplace this morning, blathering about how giving money to prop up states would be a good stimulus, since those states wouldn't need to lay off workers.

Here's the fact, jack - the states NEED to cut back, they largely overspent and overhired. And the sooner governments around the country scale back to a more manageable size, the sooner businesses will have confidence to hire workers, since they will have some faith that they won't get taxed out the wazoo to keep all of those state workers employed.

[Uncle Miltie]

I have a better idea:

Take all the TARP money, throw it in a big pile, douse it with gasoline, and light a match!

Economically, my plan is no different than sending the money to the states, but my plan has lower administrative costs.

[Venturer]

Government jobs are not stimulus.

Whether state or federal government job only put people to work they do not help the economy.

The government pays the employee 100% and it gets back 20 to 30% in return thereby losing 60 % on every job. Private industry gets the government back the same 20 to 20% in taxes, but the government pays nothing.

Why cant these people understand that Government jobs only increase the debt.

[PGR88]

The FIRST TARP plan was a bailout to States!

Now the Democrats in NY, NJ and CA need even more? It hasn’t even been a year yet!