CNN Poll: Americans flunk budget IQ test

[cbdo2007]

CNN Poll: Americans flunk budget IQ test
By: CNN Political Unit

Washington (CNN) – If you think cutting the government's budget is as easy as taking the ax to some unpopular federal programs, a new national poll suggests that you should think again.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday, most Americans think that the government spends a lot more money than it actually does on such unpopular programs as foreign aid and public broadcasting.

The poll's release comes one week before current funding for the government runs out. If there is no budget agreement between congressional lawmakers by next Friday, some government programs and offices may shut down.

"The public has a better idea of how much the government spends on programs like Social Security and Medicare, but there is a related problem - cutting them has little public support," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "The result: cutting unpopular programs would probably not cut the deficit very much, and cutting the deficit would probably require cuts in programs that Americans like."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/01/cnn-poll-americans-flunk-budget-iq-test/?hpt=T2

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Surprises me, NOT.

[originalpckelly]

2. The solution is not to cut benefits that are a disgrace...

but to tax the rich and increase the benefits.

SS is too low for most people to live off of, and it's becoming rare for people to have a pension these days. And any investments are risky and decrease in value to the extent that one's life would be severely impacted, and one might be impoverished.

That's the truth.

We need to increase the Social Security benefit, not reduce it.

We should fund it by applying the FICA taxes to all income, not just "earned income", but also capital gains. And remove the cap on the tax that causes it to be a regressive tax, which allows millionaires and billionaires to get away with paying very little FICA on even their earned income.

[lonestarnot]

4. All income! Yes! and start taxing corps. and stop giving them fucking rebates!

[walerosco]

3. just like the phrase

everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die. We need to do something fast and taking an axe to the defense budget and raise taxes for the top 1% should be the 1st move. But we know most people in Washinghton dont have the guts to attempt such move. Hell even this "liberal" admin is increasing the defense budget and cut taxes for the rich

[moondust]

5. How dumb are we?

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/03/20/how-dumb-are-we.html

Pretty dumb.

[madmom]

6. Why do I find this hard to believe...

from the link in the op..

"only 19 percent of the 2010 budget went towards military spending, according to 2010 OMB figures"

[Viking12]

7. Tis true if you include ALL spending, including SS&Medicare- Closer to 50% of discretionary spending

[Xithras]

8. Well, if you look at it narrowly

Total 2010 budget: $3.55 trillion dollars
2010 DOD budget: $663.7 billion

That puts the DoD budget at 18.7% of the overall national budget.

Of course, it also doesn't count things like the nuclear missile fleet (funded out of the DoE budget), Veterans Affairs, military research funded via the NASA budget and the NSF, etc. In total, it's probably about 25% of the overall national budget.

[grahamhgreen]

9. BUT cutting the deficit by taxing the rich is supported by 81%. Get on the bully pulpit and say it,

Mr. President!