Americans Want Taxes Spent on Health Care and Education

The colonists based the American Revolution on their cry against taxation without representation. Now, a new survey shows that Americans are very clear about how they want their tax dollars spent.

By a notable margin, education and health care were the top two spending priorities of Americans. And Americans are consistent in that: Those two categories have finished in the top two in each of the ten surveys since 1990, according to the General Social Survey (GSS), conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago.

The information comes as politicians in Washington wrangle over the budget and face a standoff over which areas of federal funding to cut. Interestingly, Americans don’t seem terribly upset about how much they are paying in taxes.

The top 10 highest priorities are:

1. Health care

2. Education

3. Assistance to the poor

4. Halting crime

5. Social Security

6. Environment

7. Dealing with drug addiction

8. Childcare

9. Drug rehabilitation

10. Law enforcement

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The findings have additional significance in that they are derived from the first GSS to be conducted since the 2008 economic meltdown. Despite the poor economy and despite the pinch of taxes for a majority, (in 2010, 53 percent said their federal taxes were too high, 46 percent about right, and 2 percent too low) Americans back more spending in about three-quarters of the areas and less spending only in the bottom quarter.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110313/sc_livescience/americanswanttaxesspentonhealthcareandeducation

everybody stop carrying their water.

for the past 22 years - but it sure never gets coverage through M$M - guess that might hurt the advertisers too much

But the sad part is how many of our Dem leadership don't grab these issues and run on them. I can't help but wonder that they are totally ignorant of FDR's enduring popularity mainly because of his standing up for the little guys. Our current leaders over the past 30 years or so keep tacking to the right instead of making a forceful stand for truly progressive values (a few exceptions obviously)

If they would just apply that same level of tenacious pursuit of one big goal the way the GOP does, their popularity would soar (and they'd be totally free to hit up the rest of their corporate masters in search of all the bribes campaign contributions they needed)