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                            February 26, 201432% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Thirty-two percent (32%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending February 23.
That’s up from 30% the previous week and is the highest level of optimism since the first week of June 2013. Prior to this week, this finding had seesawed between 29% and 30% every week since mid-December. A year ago, 34% said the country was headed in the right direction.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on February 17-23, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            February 26, 2014What America Thinks: Just 6% Think U.S. Has the Best Tax System in the World
April 15 will be here soon, and roughly half of Americans believe they pay more than their fair share in taxes.

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                            February 26, 201445% Think Auto Bailouts Were Good for U.S.
More voters now believe the federal bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler were good for the country, even knowing the government lost money on them.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters consider the bailouts of the auto industry good for the United States, up six points from November’s all-time low and the most positive assessment in over a year. Thirty-five percent (35%) now say, looking back, the auto bailouts were bad for the country, the lowest since December 2012. Twenty percent (20%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 22-23, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
February 26, 201465% Think Mexico Not Aggressive Enough in Fighting Illegal Drugs
Despite the Mexican government’s capture over the weekend of perhaps the world’s most powerful drug lord, U.S. voters still strongly believe Mexico is not trying hard enough to fight the illegal drug trade.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 65% of Likely U.S. Voters do not believe the Mexican government has been aggressive enough in its efforts to stop illegal drug traffickers in Mexico. Just 12% think the Mexicans have been aggressive enough in their anti-drug efforts. Twenty-two percent (22%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 24-25, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
February 26, 2014Codgers Freaking Out By John Stossel
America's most popular cable news host is upset. "Marijuana use, video games and texting (are) creating major social problems," says Bill O'Reilly. "This is an epidemic that will lead to a weaker nation!"
Give me a break.
Crotchety old geezers always complain about "the kids." The Boston Globe frets about "Idle Trophy Kids." The New York Post asks if millennials are "The Worst Generation?" Older folks (my age) complain that young people spend so much time texting each other that they can't communicate. And because they spend hours playing violent video games, violence is up.
Bunk.

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                            February 26, 201471% Think Americans Try to Be Honest When Filing Taxes
Most Americans believe the everyday taxpayer is being honest when filing his or her annual income taxes, and few are themselves concerned about being audited by the Internal Revenue Service.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 71% of American Adults believe most of their fellow countrymen try to be honest when filing their taxes. Thirteen percent (13%) are more cynical and believe most Americans are trying to hide something when filing. Sixteen percent (16%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on February 21-22, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            February 25, 201443% Don't Like Circus Clowns
Send in the clowns! Or maybe not since there’s a nationwide clown shortage. For a handful of Americans who have secretly (or not-so-secretly) thought about running away with the circus, now’s their chance.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that six percent (6%) of American Adults have thought about running away with the circus. Eighty-eight percent (88%) have not, but another six percent (6%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on February 23-24, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            February 25, 201433% Have Already Filed Their Taxes
A third of Americans have filed their income taxes, but slightly fewer expect to get a refund this year.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 33% of American Adults have filed their income taxes already. Fifty-eight percent (58%) have yet to file but plan to do so by the April 15 deadline. Four percent (4%) plan to get an extension. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on February 21-22, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            February 25, 201471% Say It’s Not Government’s Job to Monitor News Content
In the face of a public outcry, the Federal Communications Commission has backed off a plan to determine if the news media is meeting the public’s “critical information needs.” But voters strongly believe news content is none of the federal government’s business.
Seventy-one percent (71%) of Likely U.S. Voters say it is not the government’s role to monitor the content of news organizations in this country, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 18% think it is the government’s job to monitor news content. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 22-23, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
February 25, 2014Mass Transit Is for the Young By Froma Harrop
I frequently ride one of those cheap buses connecting my small city with a big city. At first, I expected my fellow passengers to be largely poor and old -- the folks who can't afford to drive or are unable to.  
February 25, 2014In Hyperpartisan Era, Only Candidates Can Change Outcomes By Michael Barone
Former House Speaker Tip O'Neill famously said that all politics is local. And it mostly was, in his time: He was first elected to the Massachusetts legislature's lower house in 1936 and became its speaker in 1949, and was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1952 and became its speaker in 1977.
Those were years when there was constant churning and turmoil in partisan politics. Yankee Republicans yielded majority status to Catholic Democrats in O'Neill's Massachusetts.

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                            February 25, 201461% Favor Smaller Government With Fewer Services and Lower Taxes
Voters have a slightly more favorable view of the federal government this month, but they still want less of it. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 36% have a favorable opinion of the federal government. Most voters (59%) continue to view the federal government unfavorably. These findings include just six percent (6%) who have a Very Favorable impression of the federal government and 25% who view it Very Unfavorably. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 20-21, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            February 24, 2014Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 41%, Republicans 37%
Democrats hold a four-point lead over Republicans for the second week in a row on the Generic Congressional Ballot.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending Sunday, February 23, finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today. Thirty-seven percent (37%) would choose the Republican instead. This is unchanged from the previous week  and the third week in a row the Democrats have had the lead.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 
The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from February 17-23, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
February 24, 2014Voters Want Little U.S. Involvement in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was driven out of office over the weekend following months of violent protests that turned more violent last week. Despite the disturbing news coming out of Kiev, U.S. voters show little enthusiasm about the United States getting involved in the Ukrainian situation and are lukewarm about proposed sanctions on the politically unsettled country.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 17% of Likely U.S. Voters think the United States should get more directly involved in Ukraine if the political violence continues. Two out of three (66%) want the United States to leave the situation alone, while 18% are undecided. The survey was conducted prior to the president’s departure on Saturday. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 20-21, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            February 24, 2014West Virginia Senate: Capito (R) 49%, Tennant (D) 35%
Republican Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito posts a 14-point lead over Democrat Natalie Tennant in Rasmussen Reports’ first look at the likely 2014 U.S. Senate race in West Virginia.
A new statewide telephone survey finds that Capito earns 49% support from Likely West Virginia Voters to Tennant’s 35%. Four percent (4%) prefer another candidate in the race, and 12% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 500 Likely Voters in West Virginia was conducted on February 19-20, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
February 24, 2014Minimum Truth: The Hollow Argument Against Higher Wages By Joe Conason
In the midst of a crucial political debate that plainly favored proponents of a higher minimum wage, the Congressional Budget Office dropped a bombshell headline this week. Increasing the minimum to $10.10 an hour -- as demanded by President Barack Obama and Democrats on Capitol Hill -- would "cost 500,000 jobs." At a moment when employment still lags badly, this assertion was potentially devastating.

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                            February 24, 201444% Favor Health Law’s Individual Insurance Mandate
Voters remain almost evenly divided over the new government requirement that every American must have health insurance, while support for a single-payer government-run health care system is at its highest level in over a year.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters think the federal government should require every American to buy or obtain health insurance. Forty-six percent (46%) oppose this so-called individual mandate that is part of the new national health care law. Ten percent (10%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 22-23, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            February 23, 201478% Say It’s Harder Now for Teachers to Maintain Discipline
Most Americans still believe that discipline in public schools is too easy these days, but they also think it is harder for today’s teachers to discipline in the classroom compared to previous generations.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 62% of American Adults believe discipline in public schools is too easy. That’s down slightly from 68% in July 2011. Just five percent (5%) think school discipline is too tough these days, while 19% say it’s about right. Another 14% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on February 19-20, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. 

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                            February 22, 2014What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending February 22, 2014
Let’s party – or maybe not. That’s the big decision facing Republicans this election cycle.

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                            February 21, 201468% of Parents With School-Age Kids Think They Should Be Able to Choose School with Spanking
Americans believe overwhelmingly that parents have the right to spank their own children but feel nearly as strongly that teachers don’t. Most parents, however, think they should be able to send their kids to a school that allows disciplinary spanking if they want to.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of American Adults think parents should have a choice between sending their children to a school where disciplinary spanking is allowed and a school where spanking is not allowed. Only 25% disagree, but 18% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on February 19-20, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.