Poll Numbers the Media Ignores

While the media gushes over the logical bump in President Obama's favorability following the killing of Osama bin Laden, it should comes as no surprise they're pretty much ignoring a new poll showing 96% of Americans want to cut spending and 74% support a spending cap. Just imagine a poll that leaned toward Democrat policies that had a 96% approval and do you think you'd have read about it by now?

As the federal government rapidly approaches the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, 96 percent of Americans say it is important to reduce the national debt, according to a new Reason Foundation-Rupe poll. Of those surveyed, 69 percent believe reducing the national debt is "very important."

With the debt piling up, it is also clear that taxpayers do not trust the federal government to live within its means. In fact, the Reason-Rupe survey finds 74 percent of Americans support implementing a spending cap that would prohibit the government from spending more money than it takes in during a fiscal year. Only 19 percent oppose a government spending cap.

The most popular policy prescription for reducing the national debt is spending cuts: 45 percent of people say Congress should bring down the debt by reducing spending without raising taxes. Another 16 percent favor reducing the debt primarily through spending cuts, but are open to some tax increases; 14 percent prefer an equal emphasis on spending cuts and tax increases; 8 percent want to reduce the debt primarily through higher taxes with some spending cuts; 4 percent say current spending levels should be maintained and taxes should be raised as needed; and 1 percent of Americans say we shouldn't do anything about the debt.

It's quite obvious Americans want reduced spending and every few want increased taxes. I suspect if the results were reversed and we wanted tax increases and more spending it would manage to be noticed by the media.

Good luck finding any mention of this today.

Here's the entire poll.