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August 31, 2011

30% Favor Federal Government Temporarily Hiring One Million People

A proposal has been made for the federal government to spend $46 billion to hire a million people on a temporary basis in areas including childcare, eldercare, education, public health and housing, construction and maintenance, recreation and the arts. Voters aren’t exactly on board with this idea, as many believe that most of the temporary jobs created would be wasteful projects.

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August 31, 2011

Obama's Last Economic Policy Chance By Tony Blankley

President Obama's post-Labor Day "jobs" speech will be his last chance to launch an economic policy with any chance of manifesting its effect -- both economic and political -- before the November 2012 elections.

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August 31, 2011

57% Report Paying More For Gas Compared To Six Months Ago

Fewer adults nationwide say they’re paying more to fill up their gas tanks compared to six months ago, though a strong majority still expects to be paying more in the near future.

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August 30, 2011

Election 2012: Generic Republican 48%, Obama 40%

President Obama earns his lowest level of support yet against a generic Republican in a hypothetical 2012 election match-up for the week ending Sunday, August 28.

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August 30, 2011

Ratings For Congress Remain At Record Lows

Ratings for the current Congress remain at their worst, with the number of voters who think the lawmakers have passed any legislation to improve life in America now at a record low.

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August 30, 2011

Rasmussen Employment Index Falls To 2011 Low

The Rasmussen Employment Index, which measures workers’ perceptions of the labor market each month, slipped a point in August to the lowest level measured in one year.

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August 30, 2011

43% Now View 'Tea Party' Label As A Negative

Looks like it’s a little more popular to be a liberal or a progressive these days, although conservative remains the best political label you can put on a candidate for public office. Being linked to the Tea Party is the biggest negative.

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August 30, 2011

Steve Jobs Told Us What We Wanted By Froma Harrop

"It's not the consumers' job to know what they want" -- Steve Jobs   

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August 30, 2011

62% Lack Confidence Government Will Spend New Infrastructure Money the Right Way

Americans send fairly positive signals about the roads they drive and the bridges they cross, and for all the talk of infrastructure spending from Washington, DC, most aren’t confident that the new money will make things any better.

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August 29, 2011

Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 45%, Democrats 36%

Republicans now lead by nine points on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending Sunday, August 28.

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August 29, 2011

69% Concerned About Economic Impact Of Hurricane Irene

While Hurricane Irene did less damage than originally predicted, Americans nationwide still are concerned about the hurricane’s impact on the struggling U.S. economy.

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August 29, 2011

38% Agree With Perry’s Goal of Making Washington, DC Inconsequential, 34% Don’t

Texas Governor Rick Perry recently caused a stir when he told voters it was his goal to make Washington, D.C. as inconsequential as possible in their lives. But voters are closely divided over whether that’s such a good idea.

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August 29, 2011

Voters Express Stronger Enthusiasm for Health Care Repeal

The number of voters who Strongly Favor repeal of the national health care law ties the highest level reached in several months, as most continue to believe the law will push up health care costs and the federal deficit.

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August 29, 2011

Obama and His Rivals Duck the Entitlement Crisis By Michael Barone

Some of society's most intractable problems come not from its failures but from its successes. Often you can't get a good thing without paying a bad price.    

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August 29, 2011

81% Following Hurricane Irene, 63% Like News Coverage

Most Americans closely followed news about Hurricane Irene as it neared our shores and give good marks to the media coverage of threatening bad weather.

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August 28, 2011

35% Say They’re Overweight

While most Americans say they are not overweight now, over half admit to dieting at one point in their life.

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August 27, 2011

74% Say Americans Watch Too Much TV

Earlier this month, a new study made headlines by suggesting that every hour spent watching television after age 25 will shorten a person’s lifespan by 22 minutes. While just over half of adults admit to watching TV every day or nearly everyday, they overwhelmingly believe that Americans in general watch the tube too much.

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August 27, 2011

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending August 27, 2011

Even as a hurricane of perhaps historic dimensions closes in on the East Coast, the real storm in the country remains the beat-up and begging economy. Americans also continue to show little confidence in the president and the federal government to make a difference.

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August 26, 2011

55% Say Abortion Morally Wrong Most of the Time

Slightly more voters continue to classify themselves as pro-choice rather than pro-life when it comes to abortion, but a majority still believes it is morally wrong.

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August 26, 2011

26% Say U.S. Public Schools Provide World-Class Education

While most adults agree with President Obama that a world-class education is the most important factor in the success of America’s children and status in the world, most don’t think U.S. public schools provide that level of education.