Gallup: Big Government is the Scariest Big Thing
A popular libertarian critique of Occupy Wall Street, and of the left-leaning in general, is that such people often blame corporate or financial recipients of government handouts more than government its self. But according to a new poll, a majority of people see government as more of a threat to the country than business or labor. (Though the "in the future" seems interestingly and unhelpfully open-ended for the wording of the question, doesn't it?)
What is perhaps even weirder/more heartening for libertarians is that Democrats' guy is power and they're still losing faith in government as a whole, at least since a misty-eyed high in 2009.
Gallup:
Almost half of Democrats now say big government is the biggest threat to the nation, more than say so about big business, and far more than were concerned about big government in March 2009. The 32% of Democrats concerned about big government at that time—shortly after President Obama took office—was down significantly from a reading in 2006, when George W. Bush was president.
By contrast, 82% of Republicans and 64% of independents today view big government as the biggest threat, slightly higher percentages than Gallup found in 2009.
Lower percentages of Democrats, Republicans, and independents are now concerned about big business than was the case in 2009.
Reason/Rupe has noted that this lack of faith is less prominent in young people aged 18-29 (Gallup's poll was of a wide sampling of adults.) They're the only ones who are sticking by Obama in a majority. Read the rest of that poll here, and check out how libertarian is the youth of today.
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Libertarians are what liberals become when they grow up. Its just a matter of how long it takes them to do that.
Electing a communist really helps! Even democrats figured it out after everybody became a criminal under obama!
you a smoker,then you already know
you a fatso,then you already know
you use electricity then you already know
you eat in a restaraunt,then you already know
you lose your job,then you already know
did you believe in global warming then you read the emails then you already know
did you read the anti-obesity junk science then you already know
did you read the second hand smoke junk science then you already know
Did you see obamas stimulus money buying smoking bans across america then you already know
Did you read about the democrats stealing 37 billion dollars from the food stamp program to fund anti-obesity research then you already know
did you read where the federal government spent 167 billion dollars on global warming research over the last 20 years then you already know
did you know the EPA has lunatics working as scientists that created a second hand smoke study that was tossed out as junk science by a federal court then you already know
did you already know the public health sector in america lowered every standard for a disease entity to be recognized by to create the EPIDEMICS you read about today,then you already know.
To many I already knows created the above polling results!
We can say now WE GET IT!
and yes I can back up every one of those I already knows!
Note the government fellation after 9-11. What the fuck people?
Yes, and the spike in anti-capitalism. I can guess why, but it’s difficult to prove anything cause and effect relationship in sociology.
Thinking that big business is a threat to your future does not make you anti-capitalist.
You don’t need to guess. There were only three choices and the people suddenly wanting protection from Papa Government weren’t going to switch to Big Labour because nobody is scared of those pathetic losers anymore (at least on the national level).
Big labor steals from us every day and destroys our businesses and local schools. Mix in a lot of thuggery. Why so little fear?
Don’t worry. I have heard of a comprehensive plan to solve this problem. The plan involves spending about 100 billion dollars and will require hiring about 100 new federal employees.
Christina Romer? Is that you???
What is perhaps even weirder/more heartening for libertarians is that Democrats’ guy is power and they’re still losing faith in government as a whole, at least since a misty-eyed high in 2009.
His stewardship of their vision isn’t strengthening the faith.
Actually the second hand smoke junk science and a hand full of daily unrepented freedom loving individuals spread the word for years and challeneged every junk study tossed out about shs/ets. The public has been informed and the junk science is now debunked!
It has been debunked, but the public hasn’t been informed. I tell everyone I know everytime smoking comes up. There is a steadfast refusal to actually look at the debunking studies (kinda like the “deregulation caused the recession” meme). When you present facts, most people just get angry and refuse to look.
Atlantic makes up meme to “destroy”?
http://www.theatlantic.com/bus…..bo/249889/
Churchill said your a liberal at 20 and a conservative by 40.
This poll proves that saying!
Meh, this doesn’t say much. The “Big Government” could easily be the military/security apparatus that liberals have always hated (at least when someone else is controlling it), and not general regulation/taxation/corporatism.
This is a bit flawed since everyone has to choose one and only one “big” thing to consider a threat. I’d choose all three.
Note in particular how big business spiked in 2002, probably more because of conservative embrace of big govt following 9/11 forced them to find a different Big to hate on.
Though the “in the future” seems interestingly and unhelpfully open-ended for the wording of the question, doesn’t it?
The ambiguous “a threat” and multiple meanings of “big business” are not very helpful either.
Or maybe it was because of Paul Krugman’s Enron?
So what was the other threat 19% of the people were worried about in 1965 that only 2% worry about today?
Nuclear holocaust?
Another thing that is interesting is that until say before 2001 the three had no correlation…then at 2001 business and government seemed to strongly correlate inversely with on another.
It makes me think that there use to be a 4th choice…or even a “none of the above” or “I don’t know option”.
So if it’s only a “popular” critique of OWS (and not a valid one as you imply, since you seem to be a supporter of it) then explain just how their blockade of ports on the West Coast was protesting against the government, and not corporations/capitalism?
They’re the only ones who are sticking by Obama in a majority…..check out how libertarian is the youth of today.
Yeah! Why vote for Ron Paul when we’ve already got The Big O-Boy.
What JeremyR said.
There are no contradictions anywhere in sight.
Young people are ignorant little skulls full of mush and don’t know anything. That’s why they need education and discipline instilled in them.