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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jlallen who wrote (29826)	8/18/2000 12:57:32 AM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

JLA, new poll...looks like most Americans agree with us regarding a tax cut. August 16, 2000 In Budget Surplus Era: 58% Americans say cut spending anyway portraitofamerica.com According to a Portrait of America (POA) telephone survey, in the era of budget surpluses, 58% of Americans say government spending should still be cut. Only 18% disagree and say surpluses mean there is no need to cut government spending. Still, questions about the surplus must be interpreted with caution. While politicians debate how to use the extra money, just 37% of the country think there will actually be a surplus. 15% say there is no surplus, while 49% are not sure. Campaign rhetoric is causing some of this confusion. Candidates have been debating whether or not some of the surplus should be set aside to fully fund programs like Social Security and Medicare. A majority of Americans (51%) say if money is not available to fund these programs, there is no surplus. Only 18% think there can be a surplus without the full funding of vital programs. If there is a surplus, 43% say cutting taxes should be the top priority use of the surplus; 39% say paying down the federal debt should be the main priority. Only 12% say creating new government programs should be the priority. However, the overwhelming majority of Americans think the surplus is big enough to use for a couple of purposes. Among those who say tax cuts are the top priority, just 29% say the surplus should be used exclusively for tax cuts. Of those who say paying down the debt is the top priority, just 21% say the surplus should be used exclusively for this purpose. Of the small group who think creating new government programs should be the top priority, just 14% think the entire surplus should be spent on new programs. Overall, 74% of the country wants tax cuts included in the mix of things to do with the surplus. 67% say paying down the federal debt should be included and 40% think at least some of the money should be used to create new government programs. Most Americans who say they are very conservative or somewhat conservative say tax cuts should be the chief priority. Moderates are split; 40% say tax cuts are number one and 43% say paying down the federal debt should be the top priority. Those who are somewhat liberal say paying down the federal debt should be the first use of the surplus. Only among the very small percentage of very liberal voters is the creation of new programs a top priority. Most Republicans (55%), and 46% of independent voters say tax cuts should be the top priority. The plurality of Democrats (45%) say the federal debt should be the main issue. 71% of the population realize that most Americans pay more than $30 on taxes for every $100 earned. Among this group, cutting taxes is a top priority for the surplus. Among those who think Americans pay less in taxes, paying down the federal debt is the top priority.