It has become difficult to remember, in this chaotic political era, that the people can govern themselves responsibly. The US arrived at the start of the third millennium with national debt below one-third of gross domestic product and a healthy budget surplus. The problems of overconsumption and profligate spending only began then.
Americans proceeded to spend the next generation living on the national credit card. Annual deficits for the federal budget and trade in goods now exceed $1tn. Interest on the national debt exceeds defence spending. An economic model premised on buying cheap stuff with borrowed money has proved a formula for widespread social decay. The US death rate from drug abuse is now comparable to the Russian death rate from alcohol abuse in the decade after the Soviet Union’s collapse.
Lack of seriousness in US politics contrasts woefully with the seriousness of the country’s challenges. Both Democrats and Republicans regard the solution as more tax cuts and credits — for your family, your home, your business, your car. Donald Trump wants to impose tariffs someone else will pay. Kamala Harris suggests debt forgiveness and new loans to later forgive.
But what if these consultant-honed, ad-ready pitches are not, in fact, what voters want? New polling released by American Compass in partnership with YouGov suggests just that.
Recommended Reading
The American Wake-Up Call
Politicians are still selling a “Dream” that voters aren’t buying
New Survey Upends Conventional Wisdom About the American Dream
PRESS RELEASE — The American people reject the story of opportunity, mobility, and consumerism that politicians have been telling them for a generation
