IcemanCometh
09-27-2004, 07:19 PM
According to recent studies by Gallup and ABC News/The Washington Post, two-thirds of those polled believe we need to increase spending on education. An overwhelming 85 percent favor maintaining or strengthening gun laws. Most indicated that they are dissatisfied with health care in the United States, and a whopping 79 percent think we should provide universal health care even if it means raising taxes.
Is this a poll of yellow-dog Democrats or perhaps those pesky Massachusetts liberals? It may seem that way, but in fact these numbers represent the opinions of all Americans. The polls also show President Bush enjoys a healthy lead over Sen. Kerry as we enter the home stretch of the 2004 campaign.
It should follow that if Bush is popular enough for re-election, his views must coincide with those of the public. However, during his first term in office, the president opposed funding for universal health care, diverted money from education and failed to maintain the ban on semiautomatic weapons. All of this begs the question - why do we continue to elect political leaders that oppose our own political ideals?
In case you're still not convinced of the huge gap between public opinion and voting trends, the following barrage of numbers (available at www.pollingreport.com) should help:
About 60 percent of Americans believe that taxes on the wealthy are too low, and only 9 percent believe taxes on the wealthy are too high. In contrast, 12 percent think the lowest income brackets pay too little in taxes, and 49 percent believe they pay too much.
Republican policy strives for a flatter tax curve, which in essence means lower taxes for the wealthy. Clearly this opposes public opinion. In contrast, Bush's opponent concurs with Americans and thinks that taxes should increase for the wealthy and remain low for the poor.
Why, then, should our citizens prefer the candidate that lowers taxes on the wealthy, when they overwhelmingly oppose this practice?
Furthermore, most poll respondents believe that our government has done too little to protect the environment, and a majority think environmental protection should be given higher priority than economic growth. Bush's doctrine on the environment offers stark contrast: Protection measures should be taken only if they help the economy.
Perhaps the skeptical reader out there still feels that none of this matters because the biggest issue in this election is foreign policy. The polls agree. Three of the four most important issues for this election - according to the American public - involve foreign policy and the situation in Iraq.
Surprisingly, however, this is where public opinion makes the strongest statement against the current administration: 83 percent of Americans believe the United States "should coordinate its power together with other countries according to shared ideas of what is best for the world," and a measly 16 percent argue that we should use our power to serve U.S. interests.
Our political leaders have contradicted this sentiment by invading Iraq despite vehement opposition from the international community.
With all these contradictions between public opinion and policy, why do we elect - and more perplexingly, re-elect - politicians who do not share our views?
The answer lies in our apathy and ignorance. In this information age, public access to the issues has reached unprecedented heights, yet we have not taken advantage of our resources. Rather than exploring the issues, we rely exclusively on political stereotypes, negative ad campaigns and sensationalist news coverage to formulate opinions of the candidates. In this way, small groups control the opinions of the masses.
With the all-or-nothing nature of the Electoral College, even small numbers of uneducated voters can wield tremendous influence - look no further than Florida in 2000.
To avoid this we need a more educated voting population. Though voter registration programs have noble ambitions, we need to first focus on voter education as an even better way to sustain the American democracy that our forefathers envisioned.
Voter education is a simple concept, but it also represents a perpetual struggle. It starts with a personal challenge; each of us must make a concerted effort to understand the issues and know where the candidates stand, instead of simply following party lines.
Democracy relies on such education, and that alone should be reason enough to stay well-informed and to educate others. It's our greatest civic duty.
Is this a poll of yellow-dog Democrats or perhaps those pesky Massachusetts liberals? It may seem that way, but in fact these numbers represent the opinions of all Americans. The polls also show President Bush enjoys a healthy lead over Sen. Kerry as we enter the home stretch of the 2004 campaign.
It should follow that if Bush is popular enough for re-election, his views must coincide with those of the public. However, during his first term in office, the president opposed funding for universal health care, diverted money from education and failed to maintain the ban on semiautomatic weapons. All of this begs the question - why do we continue to elect political leaders that oppose our own political ideals?
In case you're still not convinced of the huge gap between public opinion and voting trends, the following barrage of numbers (available at www.pollingreport.com) should help:
About 60 percent of Americans believe that taxes on the wealthy are too low, and only 9 percent believe taxes on the wealthy are too high. In contrast, 12 percent think the lowest income brackets pay too little in taxes, and 49 percent believe they pay too much.
Republican policy strives for a flatter tax curve, which in essence means lower taxes for the wealthy. Clearly this opposes public opinion. In contrast, Bush's opponent concurs with Americans and thinks that taxes should increase for the wealthy and remain low for the poor.
Why, then, should our citizens prefer the candidate that lowers taxes on the wealthy, when they overwhelmingly oppose this practice?
Furthermore, most poll respondents believe that our government has done too little to protect the environment, and a majority think environmental protection should be given higher priority than economic growth. Bush's doctrine on the environment offers stark contrast: Protection measures should be taken only if they help the economy.
Perhaps the skeptical reader out there still feels that none of this matters because the biggest issue in this election is foreign policy. The polls agree. Three of the four most important issues for this election - according to the American public - involve foreign policy and the situation in Iraq.
Surprisingly, however, this is where public opinion makes the strongest statement against the current administration: 83 percent of Americans believe the United States "should coordinate its power together with other countries according to shared ideas of what is best for the world," and a measly 16 percent argue that we should use our power to serve U.S. interests.
Our political leaders have contradicted this sentiment by invading Iraq despite vehement opposition from the international community.
With all these contradictions between public opinion and policy, why do we elect - and more perplexingly, re-elect - politicians who do not share our views?
The answer lies in our apathy and ignorance. In this information age, public access to the issues has reached unprecedented heights, yet we have not taken advantage of our resources. Rather than exploring the issues, we rely exclusively on political stereotypes, negative ad campaigns and sensationalist news coverage to formulate opinions of the candidates. In this way, small groups control the opinions of the masses.
With the all-or-nothing nature of the Electoral College, even small numbers of uneducated voters can wield tremendous influence - look no further than Florida in 2000.
To avoid this we need a more educated voting population. Though voter registration programs have noble ambitions, we need to first focus on voter education as an even better way to sustain the American democracy that our forefathers envisioned.
Voter education is a simple concept, but it also represents a perpetual struggle. It starts with a personal challenge; each of us must make a concerted effort to understand the issues and know where the candidates stand, instead of simply following party lines.
Democracy relies on such education, and that alone should be reason enough to stay well-informed and to educate others. It's our greatest civic duty.