Luddly Neddite
Diamond Member
- Sep 14, 2011
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Why don't Americans realize the deficit is falling? - The Week
My opinion:
S
ince Barack Obama was inaugurated in 2009, the federal deficit has fallen dramatically. It has dropped as a percentage of the economy:
And it has also fallen in absolute terms.
In fact, the deficit reduction has been so steep that some economists believe that it has been excessive.
But according to polling, most people are entirely unaware of this trend. Recent polling by Pew suggests just 29 percent of Americans believe the deficit was reduced in the last year, including just 12 percent of Republicans.
To put this in context, fewer Republicans believe that the deficit is shrinking than believe in evolution (43 percent) or man-made climate change (24 percent).
And it's not just Republicans who are unaware that the deficit is falling. Just 50 percent of Democrats and 23 percent of Independents believe the deficit is coming down.
So, what's going on here?
My opinion: