From Bruce Kesler -
Easier than figuring out what women really want is what Americans really want from their government: a free ride. Whenever lofty goals are polled, majorities speak in favor. Whenever asked whether they are willing to pay for the goals themselves or personally participate in furthering those goals, majorities say no.
A recent poll of attitudes toward charities shows 70% expressing deep caring for the environment, relieving poverty and improving schools. But, less than 20% have personally done anything to aid these causes in the past year, and on most such causes the personal effort drops to 10%.
An analysis in 2008 of several surveys of contributions to charities led liberal New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff to chastise “Bleeding Heart Tightwads,” for liberals contributing far less than conservatives, financially and of their time.
The latest polls, for example from Rasmussen and CBs of the so-called stimulus package in Congress shows majorities skeptical that it will deliver stimulus, and favoring tax cuts over spending. Americans believe they are better qualified to decide what to do with their earnings than Washington’s legislators and bureaucrats, especially when so much of the stimulus bill is deemed wasteful, unnecessary, and unproductive of economic growth.
In every popular vote for government-provided healthcare, the majority has said no as the extra and excess costs become evident and the loss of quality, choice and access become clear. Nonetheless, the stimulus bill contains many provisions that will move the US toward government-run healthcare.
President Obama and his party may have won a winning margin of about 5% of the popular vote, which is hardly a mandate for such dramatic changes and charges to our population and future generations mired in $1-trillion more impoverishing debts.
