Bruce Bartlett accumulated some recent poll numbers which illustrate that most Americans favor a middle ground position on deficit-cutting. By a roughly 2-1 margin, respondents say they favor a mix of tax increases and spending cuts to jump start our economy and reduce the nation's debt. Even in an environment of divided government, these numbers seem to indicate a mandate of sorts from the public - in conjunction with significant spending cuts, we are willing to ask some (i.e. 'millionaires') to make an additional sacrifice (tax hikes) in order to make every effort to address critical short term and long term economic problems. Is the Federal government, in its current state, likely to respond to public opinion on this issue? That remains to be seen. However, given the inability lately of government leaders to find compromise (even when it is clear that the public demands it), it does seem unlikely.
Some indicators, though, offer hope. Lamar Alexander, a Republican senator from Tennessee, has taken a somewhat bold step towards promoting compromise by stepping down from his leadership position in order to signal a willingness to defect from hard party-line positions. Dozens of prominent political and business leaders have banded together in an effort to persuade members of Congress that working together to adopt bi-partisan policy solutions not only offers the best chance of success, but is also consistent with the wishes of the general public.
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