In the broadest sense, we say we want to cut spending. According to a new Pew poll, 49 percent of us would rather cut spending to reduce the deficit, while 41 percent of us would rather increase spending to help grow the economy.
However, if we break down government spending, policy-by-policy, those numbers fall apart. It's not unlike the paradox of political self-identification. On the surface, Americans appear to be center-right, just like the very serious journalists and pundits enjoy repeating on television and in the op-ed section of the Washington Post. To be fair, there are polls to back up this generalization. But the polls are inaccurate, or, rather, they don't tell a complete story. When Americans are asked to self-identify with a political ideology, most of us say we're "conservative," and very few of us self-identify as "liberal." Well, okay. This is partly because "liberal" has been so brutally stigmatized over the last 40 years -- pollsters might as well ask if respondents are "conservative" or "flamboyantly un-American." However, when we're polled issue-by-issue, the results show that we're considerably more liberal than conservative. We're pro-choice, we support laws restricting gun ownership, we support cleaning up the environment, we're anti-war, we support same-sex marriage, we support higher taxes for the rich, and so forth.
Similarly, when we're asked whether or not we want to cut spending, a plurality of Americans want to slash away. But when we get specific, our preference is to keep spending -- by wide margins. And when I write "wide," I mean chasm-wide. Huge.
In the same Pew poll, 62 percent of Americans want to increase education spending. Only 11 percent want to cut education spending. Combined with those who want to leave education spending as-is, 87 percent support it. This massive disparity plays out all across the board. 71 percent of Americans want to increase or to continue health care spending at the same levels. Only 24 percent want to cut it. Only 26 percent want to cut spending on environmental protection. I can go on and on. Only 12 percent want to cut Social Security. Only 21 percent want to cut infrastructure. Only 23 percent want to cut scientific research. Only 28 percent want to cut unemployment benefits.
Most of us embrace government spending, but we're afraid to admit it.
According to another study by Cornell's Suzanne Mettler, many Americans don't even realize they're relying upon government services. 53 percent of those who said they're not using a government program borrowed a student loan from the government. 44 percent are on Social Security. 39 percent are on Medicare (reinforcing the imperative: "Keep your government hands off my Medicare!"). 27 percent are on Medicaid. 28 percent are on Disability. 41 percent are receiving veteran's benefits. Again, these are people who also insist they're absolutely not "living off the public tit," to quote Senator Chuck Grassley. But they are.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/most-americans-are-big-go_b_824906.html
However, if we break down government spending, policy-by-policy, those numbers fall apart. It's not unlike the paradox of political self-identification. On the surface, Americans appear to be center-right, just like the very serious journalists and pundits enjoy repeating on television and in the op-ed section of the Washington Post. To be fair, there are polls to back up this generalization. But the polls are inaccurate, or, rather, they don't tell a complete story. When Americans are asked to self-identify with a political ideology, most of us say we're "conservative," and very few of us self-identify as "liberal." Well, okay. This is partly because "liberal" has been so brutally stigmatized over the last 40 years -- pollsters might as well ask if respondents are "conservative" or "flamboyantly un-American." However, when we're polled issue-by-issue, the results show that we're considerably more liberal than conservative. We're pro-choice, we support laws restricting gun ownership, we support cleaning up the environment, we're anti-war, we support same-sex marriage, we support higher taxes for the rich, and so forth.
Similarly, when we're asked whether or not we want to cut spending, a plurality of Americans want to slash away. But when we get specific, our preference is to keep spending -- by wide margins. And when I write "wide," I mean chasm-wide. Huge.
In the same Pew poll, 62 percent of Americans want to increase education spending. Only 11 percent want to cut education spending. Combined with those who want to leave education spending as-is, 87 percent support it. This massive disparity plays out all across the board. 71 percent of Americans want to increase or to continue health care spending at the same levels. Only 24 percent want to cut it. Only 26 percent want to cut spending on environmental protection. I can go on and on. Only 12 percent want to cut Social Security. Only 21 percent want to cut infrastructure. Only 23 percent want to cut scientific research. Only 28 percent want to cut unemployment benefits.
Most of us embrace government spending, but we're afraid to admit it.
According to another study by Cornell's Suzanne Mettler, many Americans don't even realize they're relying upon government services. 53 percent of those who said they're not using a government program borrowed a student loan from the government. 44 percent are on Social Security. 39 percent are on Medicare (reinforcing the imperative: "Keep your government hands off my Medicare!"). 27 percent are on Medicaid. 28 percent are on Disability. 41 percent are receiving veteran's benefits. Again, these are people who also insist they're absolutely not "living off the public tit," to quote Senator Chuck Grassley. But they are.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/most-americans-are-big-go_b_824906.html
