Crowley cites poll to show "fertile political ground" for tea parties, but ignores Gallup's conclusion
SUMMARY: Candy Crowley claimed that Republicans may find "fertile political ground" on the issue of taxes, citing a Gallup poll on taxes as evidence. However, Gallup said of the results of that poll: "Gallup finds Americans' views of their federal income taxes about as positive as at any point in the last 60 years."
In a report on the April 16 edition of CNN Newsroom on the previous day's tea party protests, CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley claimed that taxes "could be just the sort of issue the GOP can wrap itself around to rebuild a party in tatters. And perhaps there is fertile political ground here." As evidence that there may be "fertile political ground" on the taxes issue, Crowley stated: "According to the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, more than 60 percent of Americans do approve of the way the president is handling taxes. But a recent Gallup poll found that 46 percent of Americans still think taxes are too high; 48 percent think they're just about right. Though on Tax Day, those numbers may be a little different." But in citing the "46 percent" result as evidence of Americans' current dissatisfaction with taxes, Crowley did not note that in its report on the poll, Gallup said: "Gallup finds Americans' views of their federal income taxes about as positive as at any point in the last 60 years."
The report also stated that "[t]ypically a majority of Americans say their taxes are too high." Gallup also stated that "[s]ince 1956, there has been only one other time when a higher percentage of Americans said their taxes were about right."
From Gallup's report by Jeffrey M. Jones titled, "Views of Income Taxes Among Most Positive Since 1956":
A new Gallup Poll finds 48% of Americans saying the amount of federal income taxes they pay is "about right," with 46% saying "too high" -- one of the most positive assessments Gallup has measured since 1956. Typically, a majority of Americans say their taxes are too high, and relatively few say their taxes are too low.
These results are based on the Gallup Economy and Personal Finance poll, conducted each April, including April 6-9 of this year.
Since 1956, there has been only one other time when a higher percentage of Americans said their taxes were about right -- in 2003, when 50% did so after two rounds of tax cuts under the Bush administration.
[...]
As the remaining U.S. tax filers prepare to send their income-tax returns before the April 15 deadline, Gallup finds Americans' views of their federal income taxes about as positive as at any point in the last 60 years. This may reflect the income-tax cut that was part of the $787 billion economic stimulus plan, as well as a continuing sense of patriotism with the country fighting two wars.
From the April 16 edition of CNN Newsroom:
HEIDI COLLINS (co-host): Tax Day 2009 is over, but this year, some American workers sent an angry message to the government. Thousands of people rallied in tax protests yesterday. Is this the start of a bigger movement? We get a closer look from Candy Crowley, CNN's senior political correspondent.
[...]
CROWLEY: Most elected national Republicans kept a low profile, which doesn't mean they aren't watching. For the GOP, this day was a bit of a testing ground. If this is a growing movement instead of a one-day wonder, it could be just the sort of issue the GOP can wrap itself around to rebuild a party in tatters.
And perhaps there is fertile political ground here. According to the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, more than 60 percent of Americans do approve of the way the president is handling taxes. But a recent Gallup poll found that 46 percent of Americans still think taxes are too high; 48 percent think they're just about right. Though on Tax Day, those numbers may be a little different. Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
federal taxes are one thing, maybe people are content with that. but what about state, local, sales, gasoline, cigarette, property, and all the other taxes we are hit with? That is fertile ground for any poltician to attack those taxes. This is a poor thread by mmfa
i think your missing the point of the article. the misinformation here is that crowley is implying that americans are very upset about taxes but the same poll she cites does not bear that out. that's called misinformation. at least i think so.
The dissent is manufactured. What did people expect? Federal taxes were being cut for the last eight years while towns, cities and states were forced to raise their taxes due to the decrease in federal funds they received.
Local governments must balanced their budgets each year. With less money coming back to the states, taxes and fees are raised.
I have no problem with anyone who feels that their taxes are too high, but I've got a big problem with those who only complain when there's a Democrat in the White House. These people were OK with two wars raging, and some of them wanted a third started in Iran. Things like wars cost money, money we don't have.
True. But the protests were mainly aimed at Obama, Dems in congress, Pelosi, Frank, etc. not at their local state politicians.
What does state and local taxes have to do with Obama then? The tea bag protest was clearly about Obama's policies and nothing else.
many protested taxes and our increasing debt on principle. they were not being tax specific.
They were also pretty much hidden. The speeches given focused on Obama. I'm not knocking the state issue, but lets be fair about it. In Texas, we don't have state taxes, most of our tax base comes from sales taxes, property taxes and tolls. It makes zero sense for someone from texas to be protesting those types of taxes, in most cases the items I mentioned have stayed the same or went down over the last 10 years. The only thing that's changed is the size of the consumer population that feeds that beast.
Maybe they were protesting their tax cut?
I think part of the reason cigarette taxes are high is to discourage people from smoking. Not sure it works but I think that's part of the reasoning. There are ways around it though. A lot of smokers buy cigarettes on the Indian reservations around here. But if the complaint is about state and local taxes why is Obama the target of all the venom. He has nothing to do with those.
in other words mmfa, shhh about taxes, don't let any reporter tell you that there is discontent out there on them, everything is fine. makes it much easier to get new and increased taxes through, the left's main agenda.
...the left's main agenda.
Bull. Prove it.
it has been since they figured that was the best way to grow government and keep them in power. the Bushies got drunk on a little bit of that too as they spent themselves silly thinking that would entrench their power and look how that turned out, they were ridden out of Washington on a rail for fiscal recklessness. The Democrats should learn from that if nothing else.
So you're saying that the left or Dem's raised taxes to grow government so they could stay in power?
Not buying it. Sounds more like your run-of-the-mill tin foil hat conspiracy theory. No proof. Try again.
Oh, come on, James, please do not disappoint me and tell us that you are a dime-a-dozen BIG GOVT, TAX & SPEND spewer??
Goodness gracious, please come up with something original.
Obama just passed the largest middle-class tax cut in history. And he just propsed that Bush's temporary wealthy-class tax cuts expire. That's it.
If you buy into the GOP rhetoric, then you are just wasting our time here.
show me anywhere that anyone in the obama administration has discussed or even implied that they are following their policies to hold onto power. the policies are in place to fix the clusterF@#% that they inherited. and if you get your news anyplace other than am radio or fox you would know that the debt we are in is only a temporary situation. the money for the banks and the automakers are LOANS that will be paid back into the treasury. the stimulas is to get the economy moving in the right direction which will increase tax coffers. and the massive tax increases that the right is going on about have either no basis in fact (they are the rights prediction) or are wrong on their face as 95% of workers are getting tax cuts. and don't go on about 50% of americans don't pay taxes. if you work or shop you pay taxes. this is why it's important to call out the medias misinformation. the information you get from fox and am radio are flat out lies and it's provable if i need to but i think you already know that
If shrinking government is so important, then let's cut the military budget. Even though all that defense spending creates jobs, who needs it? It will make the government smaller.
I am sure the military and the pentagon waste plenty, they should not immune from cuts to unnecessary funds.
in other words mmfa, shhh about taxes, don't let any reporter tell you that there is discontent out there on them, everything is fine. -- jamesb
Wow. You're being dishonest and you know it. This is straight from the MMFA article:
From Gallup's report by Jeffrey M. Jones titled, "Views of Income Taxes Among Most Positive Since 1956":
A new Gallup Poll finds 48% of Americans saying the amount of federal income taxes they pay is "about right," with 46% saying "too high" -- one of the most positive assessments Gallup has measured since 1956. Typically, a majority of Americans say their taxes are too high, and relatively few say their taxes are too low.
MMFA's point is that people's view of their level of taxation (many content, many disconent) is nothing new and has been nothing new for the last 60 years. Enough with your cheap straw men.
You didn't actually expect James to have read the article, did you?
This is a ginned up controversy. It's true people don't like paying taxes but people aren't suddenly paying more. There's no more reason for these protests now than there was last year or the year before. Obama's budget is smaller than Bush's when you include the cost of Iraq and Afghnistan that were left out of his. Taxes are going down not up for most people. From what I saw these were primarily protests against Obama and against some of the things he wants to spend money on. That' fine but be honest about it. Don't claim you're being taxed to death when you're taxes haven't gone up and are about to go down.
Total tax burden (15.1% of GDP) is at the lowest level since 1950 (Forbes Magazine, April 10).
Seems like the correct interpretation of the polling data is that the percentage of Americans who think their taxes are too low is at an all-time high!
anyone that thinks their taxes are too low are more than welcome to donate what they feel is appropriate to the IRS, nobody is stopping anyone from that contribution. I mean if that is really the way they feel, go for it. I wonder how many will.
Congratulations, TommyJames, you have given birth to yet another straw baby. You have noe dwarfed Octo-Mom in the number you have spawned.
You must be so proud.
Don't bring Tommy James into this.
Right, and anyone who thinks that government is too big is more than welcome to stop adding to the problem by using government products and services. I mean if that is really the way they feel, go for it. I wonder how many will.
absolutely. I have as little to do with government services where there is an option available to me than I have to. If more people took your advice we'd all be better off. BRAVO!!!
I hate to tell you James, but the internet you're using was developed by the government. So i guess this is goodbye.
and flourished under private enterprise and entreprenuership, so it is hardly some government product or service as you put it. but nice try anyway.
Did tax dollars go into or not?
what? many businesses get tax breaks, is that now your barometer?
It's all on the table. If you can't choose where that "extra" tax money goes, then you can't choose which fruits of government spending you can use.
how ridiculous. So if I am against government waste and excessive taxes and spending then I shouldn't patronize businesses that have received a tax break from the govt? any point you were looking to make just got lost in that nuttiness.
The government funded and built the Internet infrastructure decades before the first private dime was made off of it. Without the government, there would be no Internet, period. We'll miss you James.
so the internet is a government product and or a government service as was Craig's point? Is that what you are saying? Really?
trying to save a goalpost move into idiocy only makes you look like an idiot. just so you know.
Actually, I did mean it just as OYGB said. Sorry if that wasn't clear to you. While "government product" might not be a perfect term to describe the internet, it's at least as good as your "businesses getting tax breaks." OYGB's "government funded and built ... infrastructure" is best.
I wasn't being serious, just noting the nuttiness of your argument. And I never said anything about businesses getting tax breaks, though it's an interesting point. You certainly shouldn't be going to any ball games at stadiums financed by public funds or using medicines developed at public institutions or taking Amtrak. But you're screwed anyway, what with municipal water, interstate highways, rural electrification, and on and on and on.
What I am saying is what I and others here have said many times before. Everyone is "against government waste and excessive taxes and spending." Disagreements about what government spending is appropriate are handled by our elected representatives. You keep framing it as an ideological divide between fiscally responsible conservatives like yourself and mythical liberals who believe in taxing and spending for their own sake, and that's nonsense and a distraction from real issues. It's a good excuse for complaining though.
Do you have any relatives collecting Social Security benefits?
Do you ever use the interstate highway system?
Do you ever eat or drink and food that's inspected by the USDA?
You live in a free country. Most of your tax dollars go to keep you free and to make everyone's life livable. There's a lot of waste. We have many problems but we're not willing to do the work to solve those problems.
People, the majority of whom will receive tax cuts, are allowing themselves to be used by groups who don't give a damn about the tax structure, or illegal immigration or anything other than bringing the Obama administration to its knees. We've got states dancing around the issue of seceding from the Union. These tax protesters seem to want to bring this about.
Are you siding with secessionists?
I think James fits into the "Joe the Republican mold.
Joe the Republican gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.
All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it too.
He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.
In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.
Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air.
He walks on the government-provided sidewalk to subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union.
If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
It is noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.
Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe also forgets that his in addition to his federally subsidized student loans, he attended a state funded university.
Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards to go along with the tax-payer funded roads.
He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans.
The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.
He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to.
Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2007/04/a_day_in_the_li.html
An individual sending in more money is a worthless gesture. I'm in the top bracket and enthusiastically support a stiff tax increase on everyone (including myself) who has that sort of income. The top rate in the 50's was 91% and that was the period of greatest economic growth in the history of the country.
so why wait for some law to enforce your philanthropy? If your enthusiasm is so great, you don't need to some tax law to kick that in do you?
Because, as I indicated, that would be a futile and self-dramatizing gesture that would not benefit the country. I think history indicates that EVERYONE does better when we have a steeply progressive tax system. All the great American achievements of the 20th century - victory in WWII, the interstate system, the space program, the fall of the Communist European bloc - were achieved under a sharply increasing tax scale, guided by avowed socialists such as Eisenhower and Reagan.
Typical selfish GOP attitude why dont YOU give more of YOUR money so I can dodge my societal obligation. Please. Taxes are the price we pay to have a society. As opposed to a large group of people living in the same geographic area. Society itself has made a huge investment in everyones ability to make money. Those of you who dont want to pay YOUR share ought to go live on a tropical Island somewhere and broadcast a reality show so we can all watch you re-enact the Lord of the Flies
and let me know when you are down to only 9% left, then you will have fulfilled your unbridled enthusiasm.
9% of money above the bracket. The cons always leave that part out.