There’s already been a lot of talk about yesterday’s NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll which showed a majority of Americans took quite liberal positions on government spending. Large majorities opposed cutting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and K-12 education, with smaller numbers opposing cuts in other areas. A majority of voters supported measures to cut the deficit including ending the Bush tax cuts, ending earmarks, and increasing taxes on millionaires.
None of this was terribly surprising, but I found one bizarre result. Here’s something which one would think should receive one hundred percent support: eliminating funding for weapons systems which the Pentagon says are not necessary. Seventeen percent opposed this and five percent were unsure. I imagine this represents a coalition of people who make money selling the Pentagon weapons systems which are not necessary and people who do not understand the meaning of “not necessary.”
