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U.S. Senate

I was looking over some recent poll data this week, and was struck by a very odd pattern that I though was worthy of discussion. In the last 7 days alone I saw 5 polls that showed a disconnect between the views of American voters and the policies being pushed by our elected representatives. I thought I would outline these items here, and see if anyone can tell me who our “representatives” are actually representing.

Item #1: Religious displays being allowed on public lands and the celebration of religious holidays in public schools. ‘Tis the season,…unless your a government bureaucrat. Every news outlet lately seems to be reporting some story about a Fire Department being forced to take down their Christmas tree, or state employees being told that using the greeting “Merry Christmas” is a punishable offense, or a school being banned from singing Christmas carols in their holiday pageant. There was even one school that would not allow students to exchange gifts that had any connection to Santa Claus, Rudolph, christmas trees, candy canes, mistletoe, etc. and banned the use of wrapping paper that had a red and green color scheme (I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried). Most of these anti-holiday policies and bans are dished out by the elected officials of local municipalities (although State and Federal entities aren’t innocent of it), usually after they receive a complaint from a singular party, and also under the threat of a lawsuit. It’s good to know that our local officials will stand up for us when one misanthrope claims their offended (God forbid). Where do the American voters stand on this? Well, I am happy to report that a Rasmussen poll conducted this week shows that “76% of adults believe religious symbols like Christmas Nativity scenes, Hanukkah menorahs and Muslim crescents should be allowed on public land.” Only 13% disagreed. Even better, “Eighty-three percent (83%) believe public schools should celebrate religious holidays.” Only 14% Disagreed. (read the full Rasmussen report here). I won’t go into all the reasons that I feel the same way, but if you’d like my full opinion on this topic you can read my post “Melting Pot or Empty Pot?“. Why is it that the average American adult can read the statement “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;”, as written in the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, and clearly see that no law prohibiting people from freely expressing their religion should be made, and that having religiously associated symbols (like Christmas Trees) displayed anywhere on public land, or displayed by a public employee does not constitute a law establishing a religion? Whereas our elected officials and legislators read this and somehow twist it into something that bans any mention of religious holidays in any place owned, operated, or even slightly funded by the government. Those poll numbers are pretty overwhelming, so I hope that our representatives get the message or get replaced.

Item #2: Health Care Reform. I won’t bore you with the details on this one either, as my views are clearly expressed in my articles, “Helath Care of Today vs. Health Care of Tomorrow” and “BS Detector: Urgency of Health Care Reform“. However I think it is worth noting that as of 12/14, “Fifty-six percent (56%) of U.S. voters now oppose the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats.” Only 40% support it, and that is the highest level of opposition found in the last six months of polling. Rasmussen also notes, “Perhaps more significantly, 46% now Strongly Oppose the plan, compared to 19% who Strongly Favor it.” (see the full Rasmussen report here). Doesn’t it seem odd that the more our Federal legislators push this reform, and the closer it gets to passing, the more we as a nation object to it? Shouldn’t the opposite dynamic be in place?

Item #3: A second stimulus package and bailout money for states. Just this week another 446.8 Billion dollar omnibus spending bill passed the senate, and all this spending has Americans heads spinning (read the full story from Politico here). As if that wasn’t bad enough, there has also been a lot of talk on capitol hill about a financial bailout of state and local governments, which seems like the equivalent of some financially irresponsible parents giving a credit card to their even more irresponsible children. Unfortunately, the children in this example probably got their spending habits from watching their parents, if you catch my drift. A Rasmussen poll conducted on 12/08 shows that “Fifty-eight percent (58%) oppose giving bailout money to financially troubled states.” Only 22% favor this initiative (read the full Rasmussen report here). “On top of that, 56% of Americans oppose the passage of another economic stimulus package this year.” Only 33% favor it, yet the parade of spending seemingly has no end.

Item #4: Free market economy. This one shouldn’t even be up for debate, as a free market economy is what this nation was founded on, but increased government regulation on businesses, the banning or over-taxation of particular products or services that the public desires, the creation of more and more public sector jobs at the expense of private sector jobs, government-run health care, and tax-funded government bailouts of private industry are just a few examples of items that have begun to undermine our free market system. However, “A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 76% of voters now say a free market economy is better than one managed by the government. Only 10% prefer an economy managed by the government” (read the full Rasmussen report here). This really doesn’t come as a huge surprise to me, but the folks on Capitol Hill seem to be marching to a different drummer, and that drummer is playing a song called “Oh what a glorious day, when the free market becomes a little less free” (or something along those lines).

Item #5: The culmination of these factors. When you add together all four of the items above, what do you get? According to Rasmussen Reports, “For the second straight week, just 30% of U.S. voters say the country is heading in the right direction”. 65% believe it is headed in the wrong direction, and that’s the highest level that number has reached during all of 2009 (read the full Rasmussen report here). So why do our politicians continue down this track? Who are they truly representing? The only logical conclusion is that they’re not representing us, but representing themselves (or the special interest groups/high-powered organizations that fund their elections). Either that, or they think they are that much smarter than the people that elected them, and no what is best for us when we don’t. Would you rather be treated like an idiot, or have someone sell out your interests for personal gain?

So what can we do about it? Well let me assure you that our democracy is not dead yet, and we, as a people, still have the power to remove individuals from office if they don’t do the job we elected them to, and our weapon is a simple vote. Vote them right on out the door. I know it seems as though these corrupt politicians are in there for life, but hope is springing up around the nation, and we need to maintain and strengthen the momentum that has begun. If you don’t believe me, let me leave you with one last Rasmussen poll that I thought was telling this week. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is the primary architect of the Senate health care reform bill and has been at the forefront of the health care reform debate since day one is up for re-election in 2010. Reid is seeking a fifth term, holds the prestigious “Majority Leader” status and has already served for 24 years as a Nevada Senator, so he’s a shoe-in, right? Not at all. Rasmussen has been polling him against 3 different possible Republican opponents, and no matter who they pit him against, he is losing (read the full Rasmussen report here). In each race he trails by 4-7 percentage points, with only 2-3% undecided. This shows a great deal of fortitude on the part of the people of Nevada, and an even greater sign of what’s to come nationwide in the 2010 midterm elections, because if his seat is at stake, every incumbent’s seat is at stake. It would sure be a poor time to let your voter registration lapse…