It may not always seem like it, but, apparently, it’s still there:
In early October, as the meltdown of the financial industry gained momentum following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 59% of U.S. voters agreed with Ronald Reagan that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
Since then, the stock market has fallen roughly 3,000 points, millions of jobs have been lost, nearly a trillion dollars has been spent so far to bail out the financial industry, an additional $787-billion government stimulus package has been approved, and a new president has taken office who has proposed spending billions and billions more.
Despite all that, a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows that the basic views of the American people have not change: 59% of voters still agree with Reagan’s inaugural address statement. Only 28% disagree, and 14% are not sure.
And, the American people still maintain a healthy degree of skepticism regarding the government’s ability to solve their problems:
When it comes to important national issues, 73% of adults nationwide trust the judgment of the American people more than that of America’s political leaders.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 13% place more trust in the judgment of the politicians.
Twenty percent (20%) of Democrats trust America’s political leaders more than the American people, the highest level of support for the politicians found among any measured demographic group. But 63% of Democrats trust the general public more.
Among Republicans, 83% trust people more than politicians as do 76% of those not affiliated with either major party.
The Founders, I think, would be proud.
