I have a good friend who is always sputtering about "how terrible our educational system is because how can people think this?", whatever the preposterous "this" of the moment is. But, I see it differently. Sure, the stupid, mindless invective streaming from FOX News and much of the traditional press is central to framing issues. But, if our elected leaders wouldn’t spew complete and utter nonsense, then, the people would hold different views. That is, if every day you turn on the tube or read the newspaper or find info online that pours out of the mouths of people who claim to represent your interests, you are going to believe the same crap. This is probably a point many people agree with but this all became obvious after mulling over a poll from this past week.
The Tarrance Group and Lake Research (the latter led by the fabulous Democratic pollster Celinda Lake) put out its regular POLITICO-GW BATTLEGROUND POLL based on polling it did earlier in May. See the poll data here.
The most interesting points here are not the match-ups in the 2012 presidential election–it’s far to soon, in my view, to glean much of use. The poll was fascinating in one question: what do you think Congress should focus on?
No surprise: #1 was the economy and jobs, with 28 percent of the people thinking that was crucial
#2 was government spending and the budget deficit, at 20 percent.
#3 Education–11 percent
#4 Gas and energy prices–8 percent
#5 Medicare and Social Security–7 percent
#6 Health Care costs–6 percent
#7 The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan–5 percent
#8 Illegal immigration–3 percent
#9 Taxes–2 percent
#10 Terrorism and homeland security–2 percent
#11 Crisis in Libya–barely registered.
Astonishing. But, revealing. The political leadership of this country has convinced the public of a crisis that does not exist. We have people obsessed about the debt and deficit "crisis" even thoughit is an economic myth.
Most Americans would never have rated the phony debt and deficit "crisis" as a problem if had not been for a bi-partisan chorus–Republicans, Democrats, The White House and Congress–flogging a myth as phony as Bigfoot.
In fact, if honesty and economic rigor were in the DNA of our elected leaders, then, our national debate would, rightly, ask how should we better use the resources we have–in a nation that has been, and still is, the wealthiest in human history.
That conversation would, in my humble opinion, have led to:
The need for a single-payer system to get rid of the leeches in the insurance industry–and actually solve health care costs for Medicare and small businesses. That conversation–"would you favor enacting a single-payer system to put trillions of dollars to better use and save your family from bankruptcy" would, then, be guaranteed to replace the phony debt and deficit "crisis" at concern #2.
And an honest conversation would be one in which the cost of two immoral wars–trillions of dollars–would be framed as a deeply stupid waste of money and, then, I guarantee this, be #3, pushing the phony debt and deficit crisis further down the list.
And, finally, if we actually had elected leaders who would talk seriously about the 30-year robbery of the people by the wealthiest in America, we would certainly be able to have a real conversation about the money we could use if we have a progressive tax system–bumping up what is now languishing at #9 to a place on par with war and health care costs.
At that point, I doubt whether the phony debt and deficit "crisis" would beat out Libya–but that would depend on whether bombs were dropping.
That’s the tragic message from the poll: the people have bought a bunch of nonsense from political leaders who are either dumb or do not care to be curious about…the truth.
