Wasting taxpayer dollars
September 21st 2011 20:30
I'm shocked -- shocked, I tell you:
This is why most folks don't want to see taxes raised. They want politicians to stop the wasteful spending and are loathe to give them even more money to waste. I don't think people object to paying taxes IF they know that the government isn't wasting that money. Currently, however, they have very little confidence that Washington will act responsibly with the money it extracts from us.
I also found it interesting that folks trust local and state governments more than they trust Washington. This is in alignment with the conservatives' states' rights argument. Folks don't want to see the federal government expand its power and control. Decisions regarding our laws (with noted exceptions) and tax expenditures are better when they are made closer to home.
Americans estimate that the federal government wastes 51 cents of every dollar it spends, a new high in a Gallup trend question first asked in 1979.
The current estimate of 51 cents wasted on the dollar is similar to what Gallup measured in 2009, but marks the first time Americans believe more than half of federal spending is wasted. The low point in the trend is 38 cents wasted on the dollar, in 1986.
Americans are less likely to believe state and local governments waste money they spend than they are to believe this about the federal government, with the state estimate at 42 cents on the dollar and the local at 38 cents.
The current estimate of 51 cents wasted on the dollar is similar to what Gallup measured in 2009, but marks the first time Americans believe more than half of federal spending is wasted. The low point in the trend is 38 cents wasted on the dollar, in 1986.
Americans are less likely to believe state and local governments waste money they spend than they are to believe this about the federal government, with the state estimate at 42 cents on the dollar and the local at 38 cents.
This is why most folks don't want to see taxes raised. They want politicians to stop the wasteful spending and are loathe to give them even more money to waste. I don't think people object to paying taxes IF they know that the government isn't wasting that money. Currently, however, they have very little confidence that Washington will act responsibly with the money it extracts from us.
I also found it interesting that folks trust local and state governments more than they trust Washington. This is in alignment with the conservatives' states' rights argument. Folks don't want to see the federal government expand its power and control. Decisions regarding our laws (with noted exceptions) and tax expenditures are better when they are made closer to home.
| 47 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate