1978 Consent of the Governed? (an article reading)
Fewer than 20% of Americans respect the Federal Government.
Aug. 16, 2011 - Freedomain Radio - Stefan Molyneux
02:48
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| Time | Text |
|---|---|
| From Rasmussen Reports, new low 17% say U.S. government has consent of the governed. | |
| Fewer voters than ever feel the federal government has the consent of the governed. | |
| A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 17% of likely U.S. voters think the federal government today has the consent of the governed. | |
| 69% believe the government does not have that consent. | |
| 14% are undecided. | |
| The number of voters who feel the government has the consent of the governed, a foundational principle contained in the Declaration of Independence, is down from 23% in early May and has fallen to its lowest level measured yet. | |
| Perhaps it's no surprise voters feel this way, since only 8% believe the average member of Congress listens to his or her constituents more than to their party leaders. | |
| That, too, is the lowest level measure to date. | |
| 84% think the average congressman listens to party leaders more than the voters they represent. | |
| Voter approval of the job Congress is doing has fallen to a new low for the second month in a row. | |
| Only 6% now rate Congress' performance as good or excellent. | |
| Democrats, and voters not affiliated with either political party, are more inclined to think the government does have the consent of the governed. | |
| But sizable majorities of all three groups don't believe that to be the case. | |
| 55% of the political class, on the other hand, feel the government does have the consent of the governed. | |
| 77% of mainstream voters disagree. | |
| Voters also are more convinced than ever that most congressmen are crooks. | |
| Most voters still lack confidence even in their own local Congress member. | |
| Given a choice between keeping the entire Congress or picking a new one and starting over, most voters want to dump all the incumbents. | |
| An overwhelming majority of voters nationwide want members of Congress to take a pay cut until the federal budget is balanced. | |
| A plurality, 48%, want President Obama to take a pay cut too, until that day comes. | |
| As for the debt ceiling agreement reached in Congress, just 22% of voters nationwide approve of the new law, while 53% disapprove. | |
| The majority of voters also disapproved of how both sides handled the debt debate. | |
| The President and Congress agreed to cut a trillion dollars in federal spending over the next decade as part of the debt ceiling deal, but most voters doubt that will actually happen. | |
| Most voters continue to favor repeal of the national health care law, as they have every week but once since Congress passed it in March 2010. | |
| That's the end of the article, as I have said many years ago. |
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