Poll: Most Americans Agree With Obama, Not GOP On Deficit Reduction

Do you think tax hikes should be off the table?

To reduce the U.S. budget deficit, a new poll shows the majority of Americans prefer President Barack Obama's "balanced" approach, a mix of spending cuts and tax increases, over a GOP-favored plan of spending cuts only.

The poll by USA TODAY and the nonpartisan Pew Research Center showed 76 percent of the public favors Obama's position. Only 19 percent agree with the current Republican stance that tax increases should be off the table.

That sentiment was true even among Republicans only, with 56 percent favoring a combination of spending cuts and tax increases to just 42 percent wanting spending cuts only. The telephone poll of 1,504 adults was taken by land line and cellphone Feb. 13-18.

Via USA TODAY and Pew Research Center

How should lawmakers reduce the U.S. budget deficit?

[Real4WheelDrv]

Balance is all well and good, but you have to cut MORE than just "the other side's" pet programs.

[AceLuby]

Nobody wants to talk about the elephant in the room.

$400 billion increase in defense spending in the last decade.
$400 billion in lost revenue and social safety net spending in the last 6 years from the recession.
$50 billion in Medicare Part D.
$100 billion in Bush/Obama tax cuts.

There's your deficit right there... now the question is will people do anything about it or are they going to keep crying about 'welfare queens','the rich','planned parenthood', and 'big bird', which make good soundbites, but have little to do with the problems we face?

[Real4WheelDrv]

@AceLuby Proving my point, those things may just be sound bytes and buzzwords, but you gotta cut EVERYWHERE, not just the stuff the "other side" is in favor of. And you know, deciding on a budget and sticking to it in order to reign in spending might not hurt either.

[methinks]

@Real4WheelDrv The Senate needs to pass a budget first! They won't because it will box them in and then they won't be able blame the Republican controlled House for everything like they are right now.

[Bleeding_Blue]

@methinks No even close friend. They haven't because it will continue to fail in the house. Republicans will not work togther with Obama and the Dems. It's a proven fact. We've seen it for the last two years. Why won't you right wingers wake up and see for yourselves. Hiding with your head in the sand like an ostrich, only coming up to blame Obama for something trival.

[jessejaymes]

This is what frustrates me so much. I totally agree about what you have posted concerning the military. Yet Obama took 300 billion from Medicare for Obamacare. How is that fair? IN ADDITION to Military spending cuts we need to stop giving welfare better medicaid than seniors get for medicare. Why is it that ONLY the rich get better and cheaper medical than welfare? Where is the justice in that? Lay on your ass and get the finest medical available for virtually free while seniors who ARE paying for welfare have to buy supplemental insurance, aren't covered for dental or hearing, have larger co-pays and deductibles? Shouldn't the people who funded themselves be ahead of those who contribute nothing?

You act like subsidized housing, Medicaid, EBT cards and a check every month is "trivial money". We're not getting this deficit under control by simply cutting Military spending and stiffing seniors.

[Medicinebow]

When will people realize Wash. has a spending problem?

[AceLuby]

Get off the soundbites and analyze the actual issues. It's more complicated than that.

[CaryNickel]

@AceLuby No, it really isn't. Government is far too involved in far too many things that are none of government's business. That is the fact. If we reduced government to only that which is Constitutional, our debt crisis would not only be over, but we'd be in the black for all of time...not to mention freeing up excess taxation for economic growth.

[PNWest]

Strawman argument. People want to see smart spending cuts and higher taxes on the rich. If the GOP was so concerned with tax hikes then why did they refuse to compromise with the democrats and extend the 2% tax holiday on Social Security? That would have helped 100% of working Americans. But no, the only taxes they were interested in lowering was for those at the top.

[Medicinebow]

@PNWest We aren't seeing any spending cuts....thats part of the problem.

[PNWest]

@Medicinebow I suggest that you put up a p[proposal for what you want to see cut. If it were up to me I would start with military spending. Particularly with big ticket planes and ships that the military doesn't want.

[MarkJM]

How much more in tax hikes really? How many times has the GOP conceded on this. No, Enough is Enough. Time to start trimming the fat. And that Fat is in all the "Entitlement" spending....

[martydotcom]

@MarkJM When are we going to stop incentives corp's to more jobs off shore? When companies like GE and Facebook pay taxes like you and I maybe you'll stop blaming the poor for the disappearance of the middle class. How can you blame the poor for the biggest disparity between CEO/Exec Income vs workers pay. How can you blame the poor for falling wage levels? Corp profits are at record levels, multinational are holding record stashes of cash in off shore accounts no benefit to share holder or to employee's just tax avoidance. Think you may want to look at closing just a few tax avoidance loop holes?

[MarkJM]

@martydotcom Sure, I have always been in favor of making Facebook, GE, and other corporations pay their fair share. That would help, but not entirely solve the problem. But the majority of government spending is on "Entitlements" and if cuts are the game (as they should be), that is where the majority of cuts need to go. Every year it goes up substantially. "Entitlement" Spending has skyrocketed 91% over the past 10 years, yet it's the other areas that are the evil culprits. We are becoming a nation of lazy ingrates who would rather take "free" money from the government than get off their duffs and work for it.

[Buckfan4life2]

I agree with you but I don't think that these older seniors that only have their SSI as their only means of income should have to suffer. Most of these seniors I know barely survive now and any cuts to their SSI check or medicare would surely put most in a very bad situation. I don't consider these people takers. They have worked their whole lives and thats their money,simple as that and these theiving bastards in Washington have been stealing SSI money for years. I can't even believe that any politican could even think about making any cuts that would hurt our seniors. Yes these entitlements have got to be reformed but do it to these people that are haveing babies left and right and all who hasn't contributed a damn dime to this country but has did nothing but take off of her. Iam sick of seeing all these women with 6,7 kids and not knowing who the hell not one of their fathers are. This has what has to stop.

[CPT_Ethanolic]

@MarkJM
What tax increases??? You mean the puny 2% increase on income over $500k? We're still below where we were in the 90s. You all act like Obama has been raising taxes over the last 4 years when he's done anything but that.

[martydotcom]

@MarkJM balance cuts and closeing of loop holes is Obama's stated objective, Boehner says, no new taxs ( loopholes closed) checkmate

[Vance1]

Taxes are too high already, and we pay enough taxes already
These people who want to pay more in taxes should pack it up and move to England, The place that our founding fathers LEFT!!!

[Sonny]

Nobody wants to pay more taxes...But some people, like me for example, refuse to allow the poorest among us to carry the burden of "cuts" to vital social programs. Further, if cuts are to be made, they need to be done over a longer period of time, include the military, and---additional tax revenues must be a part of that mix. But, the bottom line is that no poor person is hurt or thrown out on the streets as a results of "cuts". And finally, we live here, just as you do...and we are not going to move anywhere.

[CPT_Ethanolic]

Taxes are at about the lowest rates they've been in 60 years. But don't let the facts stop your ranting.

[AceLuby]

@CPT_Ethanolic EXACTLY! Anyone claiming our taxes are too high has no idea what they are talking about. You can ignore Vance1, he almost always doesn't know what he's talking about.

[callmecrazy]

@AceLuby. Oh is that what it is? Or could it be that maybe they make less than you, can barely make ends meet as it is, and would lose everything if their paycheck got any smaller. Can those people say no to more taxes or do they just not know what they're talking about?

[PoliticalSpice]

Or people that think they pay to much can self deport to a third world country, many of which have low or no taxes. I'd love to see em go.

[NTBFW]

He got his tax increase now cut spending. Damn we cannot tax our way out of this and we can't spend our way out. Getting people back to work would work best.

[Sonny]

That was not a "tax increase" it was legislation to allow the temporary Bush tax levels to expire on a few people.

[NTBFW]

@Sonny then why am I paying a lot more taxes and my employees paying more? Would you like to trade tax bills?

[Yank]

@Sonny so taxes did not go up? We are not paying a higher rate today, than in 2012?

[CPT_Ethanolic]

Spending projections have already been reduced by around $1.4 trillion over the last few years. But don't let facts get in the way of your ranting.

[Sonny]

@Yank individuals making over $400,000 a year and families earning over $450,000. Those wage earners will see their income taxes go up from 35 percent in 2012 to 39.6 percent in 2013. If you are fortunate enough to earn almost half a million dollars, then you will pay more in taxes. If not, you won't. But remember---the Bush tax reductions were supposed to be "temporary" in the first place...So the Bush rates were just allowed to expire....on those making the above wages.

[AnnieO]

This may be wrong of me to say, but I'm guessing those who don't mind tax increases are not taxpayers themselves. Just a guess.

[Sonny]

Yep, you are right, just a guess...But not a correct one. I pay taxes--and have worked hard and done so all of my adult life...

[lawnmowrman]

My income of just under 11K per year is barely enough to get by on, yet I would be more than willing to pay a 10% tax rate on that 11K for the good of the country. Such a tax rate would force me to cancel electric and phone service neither of which is required to sustain life.

[Newsdoctor]

People who don't pay federal income taxes DO pay all kinds of sales taxes (at regressive rates, meaning it's the same tax that a rich person would pay) and government fees. And that ain't nothing.

[AceLuby]

I pay LOTS of taxes and would LOVE for the Bush taxes to expire for everyone as part of a comprehensive plan to cut waste and increase govt investment to get the unemployment rate down to reasonable levels.

[PoliticalSpice]

I wish you wer right, but you are very wrong. I pay hefty taxes,$80,000.00 last year. Indeed I do far better off economically under a republican, but this is a very rich country and yet people sleep in the streets in the freezing cold, there are not enough jobs, we are decades behind europe in terms of infastructure like high speed rail, and common decency in lacking some type of socialized medicine.


X

[callmecrazy]

I'm not sure how a poll of 1,500 people translates to "most Americans" they must not have called those of us that are struggling week to week because I can't afford to pay any more taxes. I guess the Dems won't be happy until I'm homeless and hungry. Then they can enroll me on welfare and make me a lifetime registered party member? Is that the plan?

[wonka45ACP]

Its called , BS! They cannot take a poll with that many people and use it for a statical
analysis, the law of averages theory, doesn't work that way.

[SignifiedNBlue]

Thats the liberal way!.but I doubt youd get welfare. I hear they stopped most of that too LOL

[mimi57]

That is only because he's playing his 'class warfare' game... Get those greedy RICH.
Many people have said that Americans are stupid, I just never knew how much!!!

[martydotcom]

How much tax did you pay? How much did GE, Facebook, etc. pay?
Why do we grant tax incentives to move jobs off shore? I bet the poor are the blame

[martydotcom]

Whole post didn't go thru "who's stupid you paying tax or corp paying zero

[PoliticalSpice]

Of course americans are stupid they elected nixon, reagan and bush twice, and sit back while the u.s. kills, maims and destroys other nations by imperialist wars. Once in a while they smarten up. Fortunatelly now is such a time.

[MissMostly]

Mimi after this election how could you think Americans are anything but stupid! They don't pay attention unless they are political junkies, otherwise they wait until 2 wks. before an elections and whoever offers the bigger prize wins!! Stupid way to vote, but true. When my daughter was a little girl they had an election in school at the time Clinton was running, she voted for him! I asked her why, she told me SHE LIKED HIS CAT!!! She was about 5 yrs. old but the mentality is still the same for some ppl.!! She's now 23 and her first election was Obamas first term. Did she vote for him, HELL NO, SHE GREW A BRAIN!!!!':-) Just wanted to share that story.

[mimi57]

@MissMostly Exactly, my friend told me that you can usually tell who people will
vote for, because it's the one that they see the most signs in the front yard! Talk
about 'low information voters'. I am starting to think they need to have people take
a test to see if they are well informed enough to vote, we definitely know most are
not...Good for your daughter, she grew up, some people never do, as we so often see.(:

[Yank]

Those 56% of people who agree with Obama are what we call "low information". Ask those 56% if they think that they will pay more taxes, as part of the Obama plan, or if they think that only the rich will pay more.

P.S. There were already tax increase, and more tax increases are a smoke screen. We could double the FIT rate on everyone and not balance the budget.

[DerivePI]

"Translation for Dummies" - Last year the Federal government overspent about $3,500 for you, your spouse, each one of your children and your retired parents. So, assuming you and your spouse's taxes go to support a 7 member family, how much of the $24,500 federal liability do you want to cover and how much of that do you want to get cut?

Lets not even think about the people that are sitting on the sides collecting their 99th week of unemployment.

[DrNickels]

How about this president Obama. We can make people pay more taxes. Starting this coming year anyone on welfare, foodstamps, HEAP, HUD, etc. receives no federal income tax refund. Their typical refund of multiple thousands of dollars will be seized by the federal government as payment for social programs they enjoyed all year long.

This way those who benefit the most from my tax dollars can share some of the cost of the programs they so love. You can also do this is stop me from having to pay even more in taxes.

We are at the point where my wife may quit her job because we lose most of her salary in taxes each year and when we have kids between the extra taxes and daycare costs she'll be working for free basically.

Oh and I lost my job and went on welfare I would never vote D out of principal alone.

[S-N-A-F-U]

The "Snake Oil" being sold to the public is being grasped by low-information voters as a coming 'Nirvana,' which of course never comes to pass. The ash heaps of history are littered with this Bolshevik non-sense. However, these dumbed down miscreants are not capable of learning from history....."That's the way it goes, first your money then your clothes!" An old Muscovite Proverb. <ouch!>

[AntiPorcheria]

Best and most accurate Pew Poll EVER ---- 4 out of 5 Americans don't trust Washington ----

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washingto...

[MongoAPillager]

Poll: Most Americans Agree With Obama, Not GOP on Deficit Reduction...polls state that most who agree with obama agree with prodrug legislation and imbibition

[PoliticalSpice]

Well we cannot tax drugs if we don't legalize them...

[Arumizy]

We gave him compromise already and he will use his my way or the highway style of compromise on this. Things will not get better with Obama at the head.

[Russell797]

Cuts won't accomplish anything. The government will just grow right back to were it was and beyond. If government spending, along with everything else does not grow, the economy can not succeed. Our economic model is 100% dependent on continuous, never ending growth. No one ever address this fundamental truth.

[cat2009]

How can you ever get ahead if you don't cut back on spending raising taxes only puts people further behind making it harder to get ahead. And keeping the tax rate equal to spending only keeps you the same no progress.

[Realthinker]

I don't believe for a moment that Obama or the Democrats are willing to cut spending anywhere, even on pork barrel projects the country can live without. I do not believe they are willing to consider reforms needed to save Social Security or Medicare. They like their tax and spend habit too much.

[Thunderchicken]

Spending cuts first. Then closing tax loopholes and eliminating deductions. Then (if needed) rate hikes.

[Libertyiskey]

I agree with this but unfortunately I think tax hikes would be needed. 17 trillion is an ungodly high number and the accumulation of years and years of dumb government. I think after all spending cuts and tax loopholes closed and all that we'd still need to pay higher taxes for a couple years to make a significant dent in that 17 trillion. I didn't do any math so I might be wrong but 17 trillion is in mathematical terms "a fuck ton."

[Thunderchicken]

@Libertyiskey

You may very well be right. Where I think that Washington and this administration fails us is in thinking that raising taxes is the first thing to be done.

[Libertyiskey]

@Thunderchicken That's certainly true.

[jessejaymes]

@Libertyiskey We really don't need tax hikes. We need to close loopholes. We shouldn't be subsidizing companies who take jobs to China/elsewhere. We really shouldn't be subsidizing the corporate tobacco farmers. We shouldn't be paying people to NOT grow. We shouldn't be giving welfare people "tax refunds" on money they never earned. We need to stop giving people tax deductions for having kids beyond the second kid. You want em, you pay for them. We need to stop pretending that capital gains "have already been taxed" because they haven't. Investment that produces capital gains has been taxed but GAINS means NEW PROFIT and it should be taxed at the same rate as anything anywhere at any time in the middle class pays. We need to close the loopholes in every stinking instance in existence. There is no justification for me losing social security money because i have "too much outside income" in retirement while Facebook and GE and Murdoch and a thousand others making billions pay no tax at all and get "refunds".

As you say 17 trillion is a lot of money. But the middle class doesn't have that kind of money and the middle class is shrinking every year. Has been for more than 3 decades now. We can't pay it. That money can ONLY come from cutting spending and closing existing tax loopholes.

[Libertyiskey]

@jessejaymes I agree with all of that. But I'm not so sure doing that will cut it enough. If I'm wrong I'm wrong and no harm, like I said I didn't do the math so I was just guessing. You know I probably am wrong if we do all that we wouldn't be in debt anymore or not in a serious amount of debt at least. I do not think we should ever owe other countries money, especially someone who is not very fond of us like China. But I didn't think about once we cut all that and close loopholes hopefully our debt will continue to go down every year with increased revenue from the closed loopholes etc. I just have a hard time picturing 17 trillion dollars in real life so maybe my assumptions were off.

[Fitz]

Eliminate all federal income taxes. Enact the fair tax. This silly argument about Who pays what percentage that is been going on for 100 years Is definitely getting us nowhere. It is time for real change