What, the promise of 600,000 new jobs this summer didn't entice them?
Forty-five percent (45%) of Americans say the rest of the new government spending authorized in the $787-billion economic stimulus plan should now be canceled. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 36% disagree and 20% are not sure.
When it comes to which strategy Americans prefer for stimulus-tax cuts or spending- tax cuts are coming out decidedly on top, among Democrats and Republicans alike:
Just 20% of adults say the tax cuts included in the stimulus plan should be canceled while 55% disagree. The stimulus plan includes $288 billion in tax cuts.
For cover on spending issues, Obama has triumphantly reintroduced pay-go, but even the New York Times sounds skeptical of his commitment to discipline at this point, so who can blame the American people?
During the first four months of his administration, President Obama has committed roughly $1 trillion in federal spending: a $787 billion economic recovery package, and $350 billion in money to bail out the nation's banks. The budget deficit for this year is now projected at $1.8 trillion. So on Tuesday, in the face of considerable skepticism from Republicans, the president was talking about saving money, not spending it.
And, who can blame moderate Congressional Democrats, for that matter, who are facing increasing pressure on spending from their home districts?
But even as some Democrats applauded the plan, others complained that it would give a free pass to expensive policies that would sink the nation trillions of dollars deeper into the red over the next 10 years... "I'm not for waiving PAYGO for $3.5 trillion of items, much of which I think ought to be paid for," said Senate Budget Committee chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). "I don't think at this point we can afford not to pay for those very large expenditures."