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                            March 23, 201355% Think Government Should Let ‘Too Big To Fail’ Banks Go Bust
Most Americans continue to believe the government should let the "too big to fail" banks bottom out, but that belief is down significantly from a year ago.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 55% of American Adults think the government should let the largest banks and finance companies go out of business if they can no longer meet their obligations. Twenty-five percent (25%) think the government should find a way to keep these banks in business, while another 21% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge?  Check the leaderboard.
(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 nationwide was conducted on March 19-20, 2013 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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                            March 23, 2013What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending March 23, 2013
Voters want new thinking in Washington, D.C., but what they get is more of the same.
Consider the deficit-cutting plans rolled out by the two parties in recent days.  Voters don’t care much for either one. Thirty-five percent (35%) favor Republican Congressman Paul Ryan's plan that calls for a balanced budget in 10 years through spending cuts only. Ryan’s plan includes cuts to Medicare but not the military. Nineteen percent (19%) support Democratic Senator Patty Murray's plan that doesn’t balance the budget but includes a trillion dollars in tax increases and a trillion dollars in spending cuts over the next decade.
Interestingly, Murray is personally more popular than Ryan, the GOP’s 2012 vice presidential nominee, even though she is much less well-known.  Ryan is now more disliked than former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who long has reigned as the most unpopular congressional leader.

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                            March 22, 2013New High: 28% Say Now’s a Good Time to Sell A House
More Americans than ever believe now is a good time to sell a house, although most still disagree.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 28% of American Adults think now is a good time for someone in their area to sell a home. That's up six points from 22% a month ago and is the highest finding in over four years of regular tracking. But 52% don't share that assessment, and another 21% 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 Adults was conducted on March 17-18, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 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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                            March 22, 2013Plurality Believes Federal Deposit Insurance Limits Should Be Less than $250,000
The federal government provides deposit insurance for regulated banks up to a limit of $250,000 per account per bank.  Nine-out-of-ten American Adults (87%) support this federal policy. However, 34% believe the amount insured should be less than $250,000. Twenty-two percent (22%) take the opposite view and believe it should be higher. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 25% believe the current limits are about right.

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                            March 22, 201364% of Immigration Reform Supporters Put Border Control First
Most voters like finding a way for illegal immigrants to stay in this country but not until the border is secured. However, they remain skeptical about the federal government’s interest in securing the border.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% of Likely U.S. Voters favor a plan that would legalize the status of those here illegally if they have otherwise obeyed the law – provided the border is really secured to prevent future illegal immigration. Twenty-six percent (26%) oppose this comprehensive immigration reform plan even with the promise of tougher border control. Fifteen percent (15%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leaderboard. 
(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 March 20-21, 2013 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.
March 22, 2013Probing Intentions in the Cyber-fog By Froma Harrop
Two Ohio girls stand accused of saying vile, menacing things on Twitter --seriously accused. The high schoolers, ages 15 and 16, were arrested and face a possible six months in juvenile detention. They are charged with threatening a 16-year-old rape victim in the celebrated case involving Steubenville High School football stars. Two boys were convicted of the rape this week.

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                            March 22, 2013It's Time To Bust Up the Big Banks By Scott Rasmussen
Americans have a healthy respect for free market competition and are resistant to government interference -- even when they don't like what the market is up to. For example, 69 percent of Americans believe that large corporate executives are overpaid, but only 17 percent want the government to regulate their pay.

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                            March 21, 201348% Feel Connected to A National Political Party
Fewer than half of American Adults feel connected to a national political party. Republicans are more passionate about the connection than Democrats are. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Adults in this country think they are at least somewhat connected to a national political party, but that includes just 17% who feel Very Connected. Fifty-six percent (56%) don't feel that connection, including another 17% who don't feel connected at all. (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 Adults nationwide was conducted on March 15-16, 2013 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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                            March 21, 2013Voters Again Trust GOP More Than Democrats on Economy
Voters continue to trust Democrats more than Republicans on nine of 15 major issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports, but the GOP has regained the trust advantage on the key issues of the economy and national security. 
New Rasmussen Reports national telephone surveying finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters now trust Republicans more than Democrats when it comes to handling the economy. Forty percent (40%) trust Democrats more. (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.
Three national surveys of 1,000 Likely Voters each were conducted on March 10-11, March 14-15 & 18-19, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
March 21, 2013Republicans Must Show Support for Hispanic Dreams By Michael Barone
Rarely does a political party issue a document so scathingly critical of itself and its most recent presidential nominee as the report of the five-member Growth and Opportunity Project of the Republican National Committee.   

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                            March 21, 201350% Favor Breaking Up Nation’s Largest Banks
A Senate report released this month revealed that the nation’s largest bank, JP Morgan Chase, manipulated and withheld key information during its record trading losses last year, prompting even stronger belief that the big banks haven’t learned their lesson after receiving government bailouts in 2008. Most Americans want to end government subsidies for these ‘too big to fail’ institutions and half want to see those megabanks broken up.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 50% of U.S. Adults favor a plan to break up the 12 megabanks, which currently control about 69% of the banking industry. Twenty-three percent (23%) oppose breaking up the largest banks, while another 27% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leaderboard.
The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on March 19-20, 2013 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.
March 21, 2013Multi-Member Districts:  Just A Thing of the Past? By Thomas F. Schaller
Given that at least a third of Americans identify strongly with neither major party, it seems anomalous that the two major parties boast all but two of the 535 members of Congress, 49 of 50 state governors, 99% of the nearly 7,400 state legislators nationwide and every American president for more than a century-and-a-half. Many third-party supporters are convinced that Democrats and Republicans at the state and national level collude to restrict third-party ballot access and make fundraising more difficult for third parties and their candidates.
March 21, 2013The Newsmaker Memo: an Interview With AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka By Joe Conason
Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, recently spoke with The National Memo about the sequester's automatic budget cuts, the danger of cuts to Social Security, the Keystone XL pipeline, immigration reform, President Obama and how to defend labor in an era of attacks on the right to organize.  

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                            March 21, 201359% Think Federal Budget Deficit Is Too Big
The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein and others on the political left have begun arguing that the federal deficit is “if anything, too small.” Voters disagree.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 20% of Likely U.S. Voters share Klein’s belief that the current federal deficit is too small. Fifty-nine percent (59%) think it is too big and 13% say it’s about right. (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 March 14-15, 2013 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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                            March 20, 201331% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Thirty-one percent (31%) of Likely U.S. Voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, March 17.
Voter optimism in the nation’s current course is up two points from the previous week but still remains at a level not seen since August of last year. Confidence in the nation's course peaked at a high of 43% the week before Election Day but has gradually come down since then.
In the latest survey, 60% of voters think the country is heading down the wrong track. That's down four points from 64% the week before which tied the highest level of pessimism measured since August 2012. From January 2009 until October 2012, belief that the country was on the wrong track ranged from 55% to 80%, but it tracked in the low 50s from just before Election Day until early December.
(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 March 11-17, 2013. 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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                            March 20, 201341% Rather Have Deficit with Lower Taxes, Spending
Most voters think it is important to balance the federal budget but not if it means higher levels of taxes and government spending.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 36% of Likely Voters would rather have a balanced budget with higher levels of taxes and spending than a deficit with lower levels of taxes and spending. Forty-one percent (41%) prefer a deficit with lower taxes and less spending, while another 23% are undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 16-17, 2013 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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                            March 20, 201365% Say Struggling Homeowners Should Downsize
Most Americans continue to believe homeowners who go "underwater" on their mortgage should sell their home and buy a cheaper one. But most homeowners continue to say they haven’t missed or been late on a payment recently and don’t expect to be late in the near future.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 65% of American Adults believe that if someone can’t afford to make increased mortgage payments, he or she should sell their home and buy a less expensive one. Twenty-one percent (21%) believe the government should assist that person in making those payments. Fourteen percent (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 Adults was conducted on March 17-18, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 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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                            March 20, 201371% Favor Proof of Citizenship Before Allowing Voter Registration
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on the federal government’s challenge of an Arizona law that requires proof of citizenship before allowing someone to register to vote. But most voters think everyone should have to prove their citizenship before being allowed to sign up for voting and don’t believe such a requirement is discriminatory.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 71% of Likely U.S. Voters believe everyone should be required to prove his or her U.S. citizenship before being allowed to register to vote. Twenty-one percent (21%) disagree and oppose such a requirement. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 
Win an IPad: Take the Rasmussen Challenge. Entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST.
(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 March 18-19, 2013 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.
March 20, 2013The Blob That Ate Children By John Stossel
Shortly after I did my first TV special on education, "Stupid in America," hundreds of union teachers showed up outside my office to yell at me. They were angry because I said union rules were a big reason American kids don't learn.    

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                            March 20, 201316% Think Budget Can Be Balanced Without Spending Cuts
Voters are evenly divided over whether the federal budget can be balanced without tax increases but strongly believe spending cuts are necessary to achieve that goal.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 16% of Likely U.S. Voters think it is possible to balance the federal budget without cutting spending. Seventy-one percent (71%) disagree and say it is not possible. Thirteen percent (13%) 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 March 16-17, 2013 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.