Proving once again that despite the results of the 2008 presidential election, Americans still believe in limited government principles, Gallup released a survey today showing that 57% of Americans say the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to businesses and individuals. Gallup notes:
The 57% level of public concern about big government in this survey is, among other things, coincident with an extensively increased government involvement in the economy, and the extensive focus on a large-scale government effort to reform health care that was underway as this survey was being conducted.
Gallup also found that 45% of Americans say there is too much government regulation of business compared to just 24% of Americans who say there is too little. Gallup adds:
As seen in the accompanying graph, the 45% “too much” reading is the highest of the decade and is higher than the one Gallup reading prior to this decade, in March 1993. However, a March 1981 Los Angeles Times poll using this question wording recorded a 54% “too much” level. This was just after Ronald Reagan took office, and may have reflected Reagan’s emphasis during the 1980 presidential campaign on the need to reduce government involvement in American society.
And these numbers are before the Obama adminstration and Congress force every American to buy health insurance, a mandate that President Obama HHS nominee Dr. Sherry Glied said “may require a degree of intrusiveness and bureaucracy that some will find unpalatable.” Indeed, the Baucus plan would:
require individuals, health insurers, employers, and government health agencies to report detailed health insurance information on all Americans to the IRS, adding significant administrative costs and reducing privacy protections. The IRS would also be required to report personal income data to state exchanges, insurance companies, and employers, because premium credits and out-of-pocket limits would depend on income.
An overwhelming majority of Americans (72 percent) don’t believe President Barack Obama will keep his promise to overhaul the health care system without adding to the federal deficit, according to a new study released today by the Quinnipiac University.
The survey, which polled 2,409 registered voters nationwide from July 27 to August 3, found 55 percent of Americans are more worried Congress will spend too much money and add to the federal deficit than they are that Congress won’t pass through health care reform system without adding to the deficit.
The poll is another blow to the Obama administration and congressional Democrats, who have been receiving strident public backlash regarding health care legislation in the House and Senate. Pollster David Brown, an assistant director, said the striking finding in the study is the high amount of public concern for the federal deficit, which is estimated to be $1.845 trillion ($15,635 per household) for 2009.
“The concern about the deficit is very unusual in recent history, since it’s usually given lip service among voters,” he said at a press conference today. “It’s fair to say the public opinion momentum that President Obama enjoyed on health care reform has slowed and perhaps stopped.”
While he would not say if the public was reacting to the $787 billion economic stimulus package, Brown did note that Americans have been affected by the initial $1.6 trillion price tag for current health care reform bills in the House. “This may be from the numbers being tossed around,” he said.
Congress has tried to make their plan “deficit-neutral” by bringing the total down to less than $1 trillion, but longer-term estimates of the cost run to the tune of $9.2 trillion, according to the Joint Economic Committee’s 75-year costs estimate of the House bill.
Other findings from the survey:
- 59 percent of voters don’t think Congress should pass a health care bill if it only has Democratic support.
- 52 percent of Americans give President Obama a thumbs-down rating for his handling of health care.
Even support for a public health insurance plan has dropped, Brown noted. In July, the university found support for a government-run option at 69 percent. It fell to 62 percent of respondents in the latest poll; with most (61 percent) saying they’d rather buy health insurance from the private marketplace rather than the government.
Another poll from Rasmussen Reports out today found 54 percent of U.S. voters say tax cuts for the middle class are more important than new spending for health care reform, coming at a time when Obama administration officials have refused to rule out tax hikes on most Americans to pay for health care reform and lowering the deficit.