From the Pew Research Center.
I wonder if Senator Kerry has seen this. Once again, climate change is dead last. Since energy comes in second, watch now as “climate change” gets morphed into “energy needs” as the new target of our climatic friends.
The public views tougher regulations on financial institutions as an important priority for Congress, but far more want Congress to take action on the job situation and energy policy. In thinking about financial regulation, as many say they worry that the government will go too far in regulating financial markets, making it harder for the economy to grow, as say they worry that the government will not go far enough, leaving the country at risk of another financial crisis.
Congress’s overall job ratings remain abysmal. More generally, most Americans express little or no confidence in Washington to make progress over the next year on the biggest issues facing the country.
…
These are the principal findings from a new weekly survey with a special focus on the themes and issues directly related to Congress. The Pew Research/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll, sponsored by SHRM, will complement the Pew Research Center’s ongoing comprehensive surveys on politics, the press, the economy and international affairs. The survey, conducted May 13-16 among 1,002 adults, also finds:
…
Only about a third (32%) says it is very important for Congress to address climate change in the coming months, including 47% of Democrats, 29% of independents and 17% of Republicans. This is consistent with earlier Pew Research surveys that show the public putting a relatively low priority on addressing climate change.
Full story here at the Pew Research Center
As interesting as this is, it also points out the fallacy of basing government priorities solely on polling. Just because 95% of the population thinks that “x is most important” or “y is going to kill us all”, doesn’t make it a fact. A politician who bases all of their decision-making on whatever the polls show may well win re-election, but will not (in my opinion) be particularly effective. Just my $0.02.
GCB:
True, in isolation. On any given topic the government should be guided by what is right (in their opinion) for the country. But when they choose to go against the will of the people for no particularly good reason, and consistently against the will of the majority of the people who put them there, they can expect only one result.
Well, remember the fraud on top of fraud that has always been going on here – the push for a “climate change” bill was NEVER about “climate change”, even before the Climategate Scandal broke. It was *always* about concocting some scheme to fool the American people into supporting a vast new Tax and Spend scheme.
On the governmental side, this was NEVER about Climate.
This was ALWAYS about Revenue!
That’s why they’re having such a hard time giving it up – they were absolutely sure they had found the perfect scam which was going to finance their fondest dreams for the rest of their lives.
And that’s why you skeptics are so hated – you haven’t just upset a scientific theory, you’ve upset 30 years of future money that the political establishment thought they already had in the bank.
You have turned out to be a very, very expensive problem.
Hi Anthony,
I have also some good news.
“OTTAWA – Canada brushed aside a direct public demand Wednesday by the visiting United Nations chief and reiterated that it will not make climate change a priority agenda item when it hosts the G20 summit next month.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper stuck to his G20 plan to keep the summit’s focus squarely on the global economic recovery after he met UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his Parliament Hill office.”
http://tinyurl.com/2g8y5gw
Maybe you know something more about it?
Cheers
Romm says “scientists claim we have 10 years” window or it becomes irreversible.
Unsupported assertions are coming like a blizzard.
I refuse to argue with Robert Redford.
Geb: I agree with you. The #1 concern of Americans must be our lack of safety due to Obama’s flawed foreign policy, poor counter terrorism strategy, and his ongoing unilateral disarmament, etc.
The poll outcome makes one wonder if the form of the questions induced bias. If no choice was offered for any subject other than domestic issues, the pollsters are misrepresenting the concerns of Americans and their priorities.
Kerry will wrap the climate bill into an energy and green jobs bill.
That’s how they work these days.
I am hard-pressed to think of another institution whose existence is more at odds with the philosophy of its founders than the Pew Charitable Trusts. The Pew Trusts have, by and large, been hijacked by their employees and now operate under the direction of those employees for the purpose of advancing a political agenda.
wws says:
May 21, 2010 at 11:00 am
Well, remember the fraud on top of fraud that has always been going on here – the push for a “climate change” bill was NEVER about “climate change”, even before the Climategate Scandal broke. It was *always* about concocting some scheme to fool the American people into supporting a vast new Tax and Spend scheme.
On the governmental side, this was NEVER about Climate.
This was ALWAYS about Revenue!
That’s why they’re having such a hard time giving it up – they were absolutely sure they had found the perfect scam which was going to finance their fondest dreams for the rest of their lives.
And that’s why you skeptics are so hated – you haven’t just upset a scientific theory, you’ve upset 30 years of future money that the political establishment thought they already had in the bank.
You have turned out to be a very, very expensive problem.
——————–
REPLY: VWS, you most certainly have hit the nail squarely on the head! Cap & Trade would have funded all sorts of utopian dreams, as well as pulling the rug out from under major constituencies (oil, gas) who are becoming adept at playing the “green” game.
I’m rather enjoying watching it all fly apart, actually!
One, not the only reason but an important reason, that I came south from Canada was that I felt I was being over taxed. Every year it seemed that my break even point was sliding further into July (August in Nfld).
Now it seems that the US is about ready to enter July. I’m not sure I want to move further south, but Costa Rica is looking like a good retirement option.
This won’t help American sentiments about climate change and ‘green’ economic transformation, either. Enjoy: Spanish Report Obama’s Model Green Economy a Disaster
Henry chance says:
May 21, 2010 at 11:17 am
“Romm says “scientists claim we have 10 years” window or it becomes irreversible….”
______________________________________________________________________
GOOD, that means we have eight more years to see if we get a major downturn in the climate before Congress and other politicians act.
Did the poll include “get the hell out of our way” as a choice?
32%?
That many flaming tree-huggers out there?
Despite the opposition of Americans to any Cap & Trade bill, and despite the fact that in a very bad jobs recession the worst action the government can take is to raise taxes, and despite the fact that C&T will not only raise taxes, but will increase costs across the board, the Administration and Congress are clearly intent on ramming all that new spending, taxation, massive new debt, and higher costs down our throats, the same way they rammed the government takeover of healthcare through – without allowing Americans to see what was in the 2,000+ page bill until after it had been passed.
Why are they acting so mendaciously?
Because they are following the Cloward-Piven strategy exactly: overburden the country with such massive new spending, taxes and debt that the economy spirals downward, out of control, and the dollar tanks.
Then the government quickly steps in to “take control” of the situation, and you can guess the rest.
If it has feathers, quacks, and waddles like a duck… you can be pretty certain it’s a duck. The government should be reining in spending, cutting unnecessary programs, and easing the regulatory burden on businesses in order to promote job creation. It is doing exactly the opposite: in his first 3 months in office, Obama indebted the country for more than the entire cost of WWII [$4.1 Trilion]. The out of control spending continues unabated.
Cap & Trade is just part of his overall strategy, as Obama clearly stated four days before the election, to “fundamentally transform America.”
Henry Chance: “Romm says “scientists claim we have 10 years” window or it becomes irreversible.”
Perhaps he and The Guardian should fight it out – they have been counting down from 100 months and I think we are down to 80 odd by now.
OT but except for his temp prediction (he may ultimately be right if full La nina starts soon) David Archibald’s sun prediction way more accurate than Chapman’s (NASA)
http://www.solarcycle24.com/
SSN max of 40?
Henry chance says:
May 21, 2010 at 11:17 am
“Romm says “scientists claim we have 10 years” window”
Hmmm. Do everyone remember this;
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/gordon-brown-we-have-fewer-than-fifty-days-to-save-our-planet-from-catastrophe-1805648.html
That was 20 october 2009.
ITS TOO LATE!
And it makes Romm a denier. He is denying what Gordon Brown said.
Sorry Romm.
If Americans have little or no confidence in Congress, why do we keep on reelecting incumbents? I haven’t voted for an incumbent in 30 years, but the same incompetent boobs are still there. I don’t blame the boobs — I blame the morons who keep voting for them. We don’t need a Term Limit Amendment; we need voters who aren’t morons.
Not to worry. Another crisis emergency jobs stim bill for about $200 billion before the Indy 500 this year. With all the usual vote buying pork and unemployment extended to 99 weeks. Strange, isn’t it, that we’ll pay you not to work by borrowing from grandchildren that haven’t been born.
wws says:
May 21, 2010 at 11:00 am
………………….
And that’s why you skeptics are so hated – you haven’t just upset a scientific theory, you’ve upset 30 years of future money that the political establishment thought they already had in the bank.
You have turned out to be a very, very expensive problem.
Excellent! I sincerely hope it is also a very, very expensive political career problem for them also. It seems to be heading that way. 🙂
As I get older, I would prefer that Congress focuses on reducing gravity. A ten percent reduction in gravity would allow me to run as a fast as I did 15 years ago. They should also legislate water temperature along the California coast. It is usually too cold there for optimal swimming.
“If Americans have little or no confidence in Congress, why do we keep on reelecting incumbents?”
Everybody is making sh*t up these days with numbers. Why should election results be any different?
Andrew
Smokey is correct in his analysis. You’d think that those dealing with the news on a daily basis would be shouting it from the rooftops. Even Bill O’Reilly sees the contradictions, but he doesn’t understand what’s happening because he either cannot or will not “connect the dots”. However, Glenn Beck also sees the contradictions but he DOES connect the dots, much to the annoyance of the administration.
The Climate Change “American Power Act” (i.e. redistribution and suppression of wealth by those wishing to bring about their stated objective of transforming America) is just another front in that war.
I would love to see the polls if surveys asked for real life trade-off choices – i.e. the government has $100 to spend, where do you allocate it? And no, just like life, you can’t have everything – pick the most important.