Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Poll: Americans Split on What to Cut from Government
CBS News ^

Posted on 01/15/2011 6:35:37 PM PST by Halo-JM

Salvanto. (Credit: CBS)

A new CBS News poll finds that Americans strongly prefer cutting spending to raising taxes to reduce the federal deficit. While 77 percent prefer to cut spending, just nine percent call for raising taxes. Another nine percent want to do both.

Yet most Americans could not volunteer a program they'd be willing to see cut in order to reduce the deficit - only 38 percent could name a program they would support cutting. The top responses were military/defense (six percent), Social Security/Medicare (four percent) and welfare/food stamps (four percent).

However, Americans are more willing to consider cuts when presented with specific ideas, as the chart above illustrates. The most popular ideas for reducing the deficit are to reduce Social Security benefits for the wealthy, reduce the money allocated to projects in their own community, reduce farm subsidies and reduce defense spending. More than 50 percent supported reductions in each of those programs.

(Credit: CBS)

Democrats and independents were more likely to favor cuts to defense spending than Republicans, only 39 percent of whom favored cuts there to reduce the deficit. Republicans were most likely to favor reducing money for projects in their area (73 percent), reducing social security for the wealthy (66 percent), reducing farm subsidies (58 percent) and reducing money for student loans (54 percent.)

Democrats were most likely to support reducing social security for the wealthy (60 percent), reducing defense spending (58 percent) and reducing farm subsidies (55 percent).

Forty-seven percent say it will be necessary to cut programs that benefit people like them to reduce the deficit. Forty-one percent say it can be reduced without cutting programs that benefit them.

Seventy-two percent say that deficits can be acceptable in emergency situations and when kept manageable. Eighteen percent say deficits are never acceptable, while seven percent say the government should run whatever deficits are necessary.

Most Americans do not know exactly how the government spends its money. For example, when asked what percent of the budget goes to earmarks, 41 percent said they make up less than 20 percent of the budget, 13 percent said 20-50 percent, 4 percent said more than 50 percent and 42 percent didn't know. Earmarks actually make up less than one percent of the budget.

Read the Complete Poll (PDF)

This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,178 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone January 5 - 9, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kbaschke?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/g_YQpNz53rY


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-102 next last
To: Halo-JM

Sadly figuring this stuff out is what we elect 435 Congress critters and 100 Senators for. The public is not supposed to have to decide what programs get cut. The legislators are supposed to be competent to handle this.


41 posted on 01/15/2011 7:58:00 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brilliant

cut it all, and boost the military, with the ongoing and increasing threats across the globe, now, more than ever US and Canada need to keep on top of developing the most state of the art defense equipment, and then follow through on manufacturing said gear.


42 posted on 01/15/2011 7:59:45 PM PST by Bulwyf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: NavyCanDo
Are the people of Seattle so broke they can't go out and buy their own bulbs?

The GE lobbyist scored, big time.

43 posted on 01/15/2011 8:01:02 PM PST by okie01 (THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Ignorance On Parade)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]

To: MrEdd
You forgot to cut all foreign aid.

Thanks. I musta had a senior moment since that is the topic of one of my biggest rants. Foreign aid is upside down logic to begin with, since the more we give to foreign countries, the more foreigners hate us.

44 posted on 01/15/2011 8:03:29 PM PST by Cobra64
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: ledzep75

Only if you want to!


45 posted on 01/15/2011 8:07:44 PM PST by Halo-JM
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Brilliant
"The military, the national debt, social security and medicare" are pretty much the Federal budget. They all have to go on the chopping block. All.

$0 Deficit Funding Levels

46 posted on 01/15/2011 8:39:09 PM PST by MontaniSemperLiberi (Moutaineers are Always Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: FlingWingFlyer

Not enough. Not even close.


47 posted on 01/15/2011 8:39:42 PM PST by MontaniSemperLiberi (Moutaineers are Always Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Halo-JM

CUT IT ALL!!!!


48 posted on 01/15/2011 8:43:26 PM PST by upsdriver (to undo the damage the "intellectual elites" have done. . . . . Sarah Palin for President!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Halo-JM
Simple. Cut Dept of Education to zero. Cut Commerce to zero. Cut Energy to zero. Cut EPA 50%. Nobody hurt at all. Any questions?
49 posted on 01/15/2011 8:46:30 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Halo-JM

Not enough. Not even close.

The federal revenue is $2.425 Trillion.

The 2011 budget was to be $3.841 Trillion.

( http://www.fms.treas.gov/mts/mts1110.pdf , table 4)

So the need is to cut the budget by (1 – 2.425 / 3.841 ) x 100% = 36.8%

We can’t cut servicing the debt which is $464.7 Billion. That means the rest of the budget has to be cut by 49.0%.

If interest rates go up (by 2 or 3 times). We almost can’t balance the budget at all without dropping our defense commitments around the world. We are in the range of Greece.

I’m not worried that Liberals don’t understand how much needs to be cut. I am worried that Conservatives don’t know.


50 posted on 01/15/2011 8:48:06 PM PST by MontaniSemperLiberi (Moutaineers are Always Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Texas Eagle

Not enough. Not even close.


51 posted on 01/15/2011 8:48:57 PM PST by MontaniSemperLiberi (Moutaineers are Always Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Brilliant

Defense will have to suffer massive cuts.


52 posted on 01/15/2011 8:49:54 PM PST by MontaniSemperLiberi (Moutaineers are Always Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Rembrandt

That even X% is 49%. That’s right. Everything needs to be cut by 49% except servicing the debt which can’t be cut.


53 posted on 01/15/2011 8:51:43 PM PST by MontaniSemperLiberi (Moutaineers are Always Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: GeronL

Not enough. Not even close.


54 posted on 01/15/2011 8:52:23 PM PST by MontaniSemperLiberi (Moutaineers are Always Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: svcw

A short beginning. Everything needs to be cut 49%. We are in that bad of shape.


55 posted on 01/15/2011 8:53:38 PM PST by MontaniSemperLiberi (Moutaineers are Always Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Pox

It is to me. It appears you’re just indulging yourself. Go to this post: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2653341/posts and tell me what you think must be cut to get to $0.


56 posted on 01/15/2011 8:56:42 PM PST by MontaniSemperLiberi (Moutaineers are Always Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: spokeshave

Not enough. Not even close.


57 posted on 01/15/2011 8:57:31 PM PST by MontaniSemperLiberi (Moutaineers are Always Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Halo-JM

Delete the department of education, and the department of energy. Both are less than worthless, they are counter productive


58 posted on 01/15/2011 8:59:32 PM PST by Figment ("A communist is someone who reads Marx.An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx" R Reagan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Halo-JM

10% across the board


59 posted on 01/15/2011 8:59:49 PM PST by Mr. K ("...but Brondo has what plants crave")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Texas Eagle

lol


60 posted on 01/15/2011 9:00:49 PM PST by Figment ("A communist is someone who reads Marx.An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx" R Reagan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-102 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson