Sixty-six percent (66%) of all likely voters believe that "just about anyone who is willing to work hard" can make a decent living in this country; 28% disagree and say that’s not the case.

The Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey also shows that Republicans (84%) and men (74%) are more likely than Democrats (56%), unaffiliated voters (58%), and women (58%) to think persons willing to work hard can pay the bills.

The belief that people can usually make a living themselves helps explain public reluctance to embrace major new government spending initiatives such as the Baby Bond proposal floated by Senator Hillary Clinton last week. Data released earlier this week showed that voters strongly oppose giving a $5,000 savings bond to all newborns.

Opposition is nearly as strong to a proposal that would provide government financial assistance to anyone who wants to start a small business. A majority of 56% oppose that concept while 30% say the government should make such financing generally available. A Discover Small Business Watch Survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports recently found that 30% of entrepreneurs borrowed money to start their business.

Voters are more supportive when it comes to providing educational assistance. Almost half (49%) of all voters believe that government should provide loans to cover tuition costs of any student wishing to attend college. Forty-one percent (41%) oppose the idea. Scandals related to the conduct of college loans have inspired some Democrats to advocate a more direct role by government in lending tuition money.

Rasmussen Reports found less skepticism about new taxes than about new spending. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama—for some time a fairly distant second to Senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic nomination race—dares to hope that putting a big tax hike on the table will help give him a leg up in the campaign.

Obama would extend the 12.4% Social Security tax currently imposed on the first $97,000 of income to all income. Senator John Edwards, in third place in the nomination race, agrees that much more individual income should be subjected to the tax. But he would exempt a "bubble" of income between $97,000 to "about $200,000."

Forty-six percent (46%) agree with Obama that workers should indeed "pay Social Security taxes on all of their income"; 37% disagree. Half of Democrats, half of unaffiliated voters and 38% of GOP voters agree with extending the tax so thoroughly. So do 63% of liberals and 37% of conservatives.

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