As Fear Recedes, Americans’ Opposition to Expanding Government Rises

by | Oct 22, 2021 | Headline News | 12 comments

Do you LOVE America?

    Share

    This article was originally published by Adam Dick at The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. 

    Twice this century, a greater number of Americans, when asked a yearly Gallup survey question, said their opinion aligns more with the view that government “should do more to solve problems” than with the view that government is “trying to do too many things.” The first time was in 2001, shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The second time was in 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus scare. Fear, pumped up incessantly by people in government, media, and beyond, at these two time periods helped lead to a big shift in the poll answers. Every other year, polled people’s opinions came out with a plurality or majority aligned with the view that the government does too much.

    It is good to see the poll’s indication that people have regained their inclination in favor of restraining government instead or expanding it. Overall, 52 percent of people polled in September said the government does too much compared with 43 percent who said it should do more. Last year those numbers were just about reversed: Only 41 percent said the government should do less, while 54 percent said it should do more.

    It is also good to see that among Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike there was over the last year a gain in the percent of people who said the government should do less and a decrease in the percent of people who said the government should do more. These changes were much larger among people who identified as independents than among people who claimed a party affiliation. Indeed, independents are the one group for whom the majority view flipped from 2020 to 2021, with the expanding government view winning out 56 to 38 percent last year and the restricting government view winning out 57 percent to 38 percent this year. It is likely more than coincidence that that huge shift in opinion has coincided with the termination of major coronavirus crackdown mandates over the last year in some parts of America.

    Gallup’s September poll results also suggest there is a reason for hope that many people who have recently seen the light about the danger of accepting government power grabs will oppose efforts to expand the government’s coercive reach in the name of countering future drummed up crises.

    Looking at the partisan breakdown of answers to the question, though, suggests that people in parts of America where many more people see themselves as Democrats may be in for much yet expansion of government power. Among Republicans answering the poll question in September, the government should do less answer was chosen by 80 percent, while just 15 percent chose the alternative. Among independents, the reducing government view was chosen by a narrower, though still large, a margin of 57 percent to 38 percent. In contrast, among Democrats the government should do more answer was the runaway winner at 78 percent to 18 percent.

    People in more heavily Democratic areas have tended to be subjected to, and tend to continue to endure, more government mandates in the name of countering coronavirus than people elsewhere in America. The good news for people in these areas is that even among Democrats the support for expanding government’s reach has waned. The bad news is that, as indicated in the September Gallup poll, supporting government doing more remains the opinion of most Democrats.

    Also, with Democrats in control of the United States Congress and presidency, expect the march of coronavirus tyranny to continue at the national level. A big question is how strongly and effectively politicians from areas with a greater concentration of Republican and independent voters will act to counter this threat from DC.

    URGENT ON GOLD… as in URGENT

    It Took 22 Years to Get to This Point

    Gold has been the right asset with which to save your funds in this millennium that began 23 years ago.

    Free Exclusive Report
    The inevitable Breakout – The two w’s

      Related Articles

      Comments

      Join the conversation!

      It’s 100% free and your personal information will never be sold or shared online.

      12 Comments

      1. The true deception is the parties (I,R or D)

        Washington and Adams both agreed when the two party system came in to play it was the end of the Republic….that was 1791 if memory serves me correct.

        So with that said.

        Let me tell ya something, its all been planned….the left, the right…the R or D….it doesn’t matter…they, the politicians are of the same bird…they have one agenda…and while everyone is choosing sides…they are laughing at you…while they push their agenda forward….they are not your savior…Jesus trumps the politicians

        Are you a Christian, the Christian is told not to turn to the left nor to the right…

        Proverbs 4:25-27 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
        25 Let your eyes look directly ahead
        And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
        26 Watch the path of your feet
        And all your ways will be established.
        27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left;
        Turn your foot from evil.

        Your job as a blood bought slave of Christ, born by the Spirit of God is to call out all evil and folks evil exist on both sides. right or left…

        Go and buy a Holy Bible and see this was spoken by the Lord God long before man was on this earth…for one verse will speak this truth….

        “Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18).

        THE DECREE OF GOD IS HIS PURPOSE OR DETERMINATION with respect to future things, because there was only one act of His infinite mind about future things. But we speak as if there had been many, because our minds are only capable of thinking of successive revolutions, as thoughts and occasions arise, or in reference to the various objects of His decree, which being many seem to us to require a distinct purpose for each one. But an infinite understanding does not proceed by steps, from one stage to another:

        Deuteronomy 28:43
        43 The alien who is among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but you will go down lower and lower.

        Proverbs 16:4 The LORD created everything for His purpose, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

        Its all been planned folks and you can stamp your feet and shake your fist to the heavens above, yet God today is bringing about calamity on the earth.

        Isaiah 45:6-7
        6 That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
        That there is no one besides Me.
        I am the Lord, and there is no other,
        7 The One forming light and creating darkness,
        Causing well-being and creating calamity;
        I am the Lord who does all these.

        Buckle up boys and girls…its about to get real bumpy…

        • Also, I defy anyone working in this country to tell me that oxen and donkeys have not been yoked together.

        • As you say both parties are 1 in the same which is true but I see you are still being fooled by religion……they too were created to further divide and conquer humanity !

      2. Things are now unsustainable and can’t go on for long, something is gonna chance soon and itl probably won’t be for the good.

        Be ready for it, it will catch most people by surprise.

      3. The public has been deceived for years with presenting the sheeple a system that is ALL controlled by the NWO/committee of 300 and they are descendants from thousand of years who have been tying to control the world for that time. They have made huge progress in the last few years and are now on the verge of a total destruction/transformation of this country as we once knew it. They must be stopped at any cost and with any manner that works. end of story OR end of US if not done!

      4. Read the “Federalist Papers” folks. I agree with the Christian Soldier that many of the Founders admonished citizens to beware of political parties, as loyalty to the parties has superceded loyalty to the nation. The idea that folks that do NOT pay income taxes can produce a majority of votes to TAX property (income) from those that do pay income taxes tells the tale.

        As Old Guy commented many times, there are too many takers and too few makers.

      5. ~ MY LITTLE ARMALITE ~
        And it’s down along the bog road, that’s where I long to be
        Lyin’ in the dark with a Provo company
        A comrade on me left and another one on me right
        A clip of ammunition for me little Armalite

        I was stopped by a soldier, he said, “You are a swine”
        He hit me with his rifle and he kicked me in the groin
        I begged and I pleaded, oh my manners were polite
        But all the time I’m thinkin’ of me little Armalite

        And it’s down in the bogside, that’s where I long to be
        Lyin’ in the dark with a Provo company
        A comrade on me left and another one on me right
        And a clip of ammunition for me little Armalite

        Well this brave R.U.C. man came marchin’ up our street
        600 British soldiers he had lined up at his feet
        “Come out ye cowardly Fenians, come on out and fight”
        He cried “I’m only jokin’!”, when he heard the Armalite

        And it’s down in Mullahy, that’s where I long to be
        Lyin’ in the dark with a Provo company
        A comrade on me left and another one on me right
        A clip of ammunition for me little Armalite

        Well, the army came to visit me, ’twas in the early hours
        With Saracens, and Saladins, and Ferret armoured cars
        They thought they had me cornered, but I gave them all a fright
        With the armour-piercin’ bullets of me little Armalite

        And it’s down in the New Lodge, that’s where I long to be
        Lyin’ in the dark with a Provo company
        A comrade on me left and another one on me right
        A clip of ammunition for me little Armalite

        Well, when Prior came to Belfast, to see the battles won
        The generals they had told him, “We’ve got them on the run”
        But corporals and privates, while on patrol at night
        Say, “Remember Narrow Water and the bloody Armalite”

        And it’s down in Crossmaglen, that’s where I long to be
        Lyin’ in the dark with a Provo company
        A comrade on me left and another one on me right
        And a clip of ammunition for me little Armalite

      6. I believe there would be close to 100% agreement that the Federal Government is way to big, too powerful., too inefficient.

        The solution is rather simply – lets go back to a more powerful STATES RIGHT – strip the Fed of many of their departments and agencies – no more executive orders etc etc

        • Well said sir.

        • I totally agree. The State has no conscience, it must be constantly checked. The nature of the State has at least four main facets. One is that it has an absolutely insatiable desire to ever grow and accumulate power, even if illicitly or un-Constitutional. The second is the State always becomes the enemy of its people. Thirdly, the State prefers, even demands to operate in secrecy. And fourth, the State eventually but always becomes an oligarchy/autocracy. It will lie, it will kill, it will commit fraud, it will betray it own people, it will make war on its own people, it will commit treason, it will do ANYTHING that is necessary to obtain ever more power, no matter how illegitimate.
          This country fought its worst war ever to keep states from exercising their states rights to secede. (Sorry, it was not about slavery. Before war actually broke out Lincoln and an almost unanimous Congress said they didn’t care that slavery existed so long as the South agreed not to secede.) I am a strong and unreconstructed proponent of Secession, but realize the Federal State would be merciless in trying to crush it. It just will not allow any power it has accumulated to diminish. It loves a highly centralized and totally controlling power, and equally despises states rights.

      7. Message to the world, don’t let the evil globalists turn the rest of us against each other. We have to stick together and fight ‘them.’ Otherwise, they have won their sick games. All they are doing is protecting their power and money system.

        • think about this, all this nonsense that the globalists are doing has nothing to do with GOD, it has to do with themselves and their own selfishness.

      Commenting Policy:

      Some comments on this web site are automatically moderated through our Spam protection systems. Please be patient if your comment isn’t immediately available. We’re not trying to censor you, the system just wants to make sure you’re not a robot posting random spam.

      This website thrives because of its community. While we support lively debates and understand that people get excited, frustrated or angry at times, we ask that the conversation remain civil. Racism, to include any religious affiliation, will not be tolerated on this site, including the disparagement of people in the comments section.