Commentary

Americans Want Spending Cuts

Below are a few choice nuggets from a new Rasmussen poll that suggest that the American public is of a fairly clear mind on federal spending matters, even if their elected officials in D.C. aren’t:

Eighty-three percent (83%) of Americans say the size of the federal budget deficit is due more to the unwillingness of politicians to cut government spending than to the reluctance of taxpayers to pay more in taxes.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just nine percent (9%) of adults put more blame on the unwillingness of taxpayers to pay more in taxes. […]

Eighty-six percent (86%) of Americans are at least somewhat concerned about the size of the federal budget deficit, including 65% who are very concerned. Only 12% are not very or not at all concerned about the size of the deficit.

Yet, by a 49% to 39% margin, voters believe it is more important to cut federal spending than to reduce the deficit. Fifty-three percent (53%) say cutting government spending is good for the economy, and 61% say the same of cutting taxes.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of voters also think the unwillingness of politicians’ to cut government spending is a bigger problem than taxpayers’ unwillingness to pay more in taxes.

More on the D.C. fiscal train wreck here and here.