According to a new Rasmussen report 54% of U.S. voters favor a middle class tax cut instead of new health care spending.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of U.S. voters say tax cuts for the middle class are more important than new spending for health care reform, even as President Obama’s top economic advisers signal that tax hikes may be necessary.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, taken Monday and Tuesday nights, finds that 34% disagree and say new spending for health care reform is more important. Twelve percent (12%) are not sure.

It is important to note that this question asked about new government spending for health care reform rather than about the overall concept of health care reform itself.

The partisan and ideological divide on the question is sizable. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Democrats say new spending for health care reform is the priority. But 80% of Republicans and 62% of voters not affiliated with either party favor tax cuts for the middle class.

Seventy percent (70%) of liberals say new spending is more important, while 76% of conservatives prefer tax cuts.

Recent polling shows that 48% of voters now rate the U.S. health care system as good or excellent. That figure has increased significantly since the Congressional debate on health care began.

Seventy-six percent (76%) of all voters believe it is at least somewhat likely that taxes will have to be raised on the middle class to cover the cost of health care reform. Fifty-nine percent (59%) say it is very likely.

Just 18% say middle class tax hikes are not likely, with 14% who say they’re not very likely and four percent (4%) who think they are not at all likely.

These numbers are largely unchanged from a survey in mid-July. But on Sunday Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers, director of the National Economic Council, both refused to rule out the possibility of middle-class tax increases to pay for the health care reform plan proposed by the president and congressional Democrats.

Voters ages 18 to 29 are evenly divided over which is more important – tax cuts or new spending on health care reform – while those in all other age groups overwhelmingly prefer cutting taxes for the middle class. This younger age group also is by far the one that least expects a middle class tax hike to pay for health care reform.

While 88% of Republicans and 67% of unaffiliated voters say middle-class tax hikes are very likely, just 29% of Democrats agree.

Only 15% of voters nationwide now say Obama has cut taxes for 95% of Americans as he repeatedly promised to do on the campaign trail, down 11 points from early June. Forty-nine percent (49%) say the president has not cut taxes for most Americans, and 36% are not sure.

Democrats are far less skeptical about this than Republican voters and unaffiliateds.

Forty-one percent (41%) of voters now expect their personal taxes to go up under the Obama administration. Eleven percent (11%) say they will go down, and 34% think they will stay the same.
Just 16% of voters believe that tax increases help the economy. Most voters (54%) say tax increases hurt the economy, a number that has been fairly consistent for more than a decade.

Only 28% say they are willing to pay higher taxes so that all Americans can have health insurance. Sixty percent (60%) are opposed. Those figures are little changed since May.
Recent polling has shown that cost, not universal coverage, is the top concern about health care.

Americans are fairly evenly divided on the health care reform proposals working their way through Congress, but most remain convinced that the plans will raise costs and hurt the quality of the care they receive.

Sen. Cornyn Calls On White House To Immediately Stop Compiling Political Enemies List

Sends letter to President Obama expressing grave concern over new White House program to monitor speech of American citizens’ with opposing political views

WASHINGTON—In a letter to President Obama, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, expressed serious concern about the White House’s new program requesting Americans to forward email chains and other communications opposing the President’s health care policies. Sen. Cornyn is seeking assurances that the program is being carried out in a manner consistent with the First Amendment and America’s tradition of free speech and public discourse.

Sen. Cornyn’s letter also inquires about the collection of names, email addresses, IP addresses, and private speech of U.S. citizens that will be reported, which raises the specter of a data collection program.

“I am not aware of any precedent for a President asking American citizens to report their fellow citizens to the White House for pure political speech that is deemed ‘fishy’ or otherwise inimical to the White House’s political interests,” Sen. Cornyn wrote. “You should not be surprised that these actions taken by your White House staff raise the specter of a data collection program.  As Congress debates health care reform and other critical policy matters, citizen engagement must not be chilled by fear of government monitoring the exercise of free speech rights.”

–The full text of Sen. Cornyn’s letter is below–

Dear President Obama,

I write to express my concern about a new White House program to monitor American citizens’ speech opposing your health care policies, and to seek your assurances that this program is being carried out in a manner consistent with the First Amendment and America’s tradition of free speech and public discourse.

Yesterday, in an official White House release entitled “Facts are Stubborn Things,” the White House Director of New Media, Macon Phillips, asserted that there was “a lot of disinformation out there,” and encouraged citizens to report “fishy” speech opposing your health care policies to the White House.  Phillips specifically targeted private, unpublished, even casual speech, writing that “rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation.”  Phillips wrote “If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.”

I am not aware of any precedent for a President asking American citizens to report their fellow citizens to the White House for pure political speech that is deemed “fishy” or otherwise inimical to the White House’s political interests.

By requesting that citizens send “fishy” emails to the White House, it is inevitable that the names, email addresses, IP addresses, and private speech of U.S. citizens will be reported to the White House.  You should not be surprised that these actions taken by your White House staff raise the specter of a data collection program.  As Congress debates health care reform and other critical policy matters, citizen engagement must not be chilled by fear of government monitoring the exercise of free speech rights.

I can only imagine the level of justifiable outrage had your predecessor asked Americans to forward emails critical of his policies to the White House.  I suspect that you would have been leading the charge in condemning such a program—and I would have been at your side denouncing such heavy-handed government action.

So I urge you to cease this program immediately.  At the very least, I request that you detail to Congress and the public the protocols that your White House is following to purge the names, email addresses, IP addresses, and identities of citizens who are reported to have engaged in “fishy” speech.  And I respectfully request an answer to the following:

· How do you intend to use the names, email addresses, IP addresses, and identities of citizens who are reported to have engaged in “fishy” speech?

· How do you intend to notify citizens who have been reported for “fishy” speech?

· What action do you intend to take against citizens who have been reported for engaging in “fishy” speech?

· Do your own past statements qualify as “disinformation”?  For example, is it “disinformation” to note that in 2003 you said: “I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer universal health care plan”?

I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN

United States Senator

Sen. Cornyn serves on the Finance, Judiciary, Agriculture and Budget Committees.  He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.

So did anyone actually expect Obama to keep his pledge of no taxes on the middle class?  Especially since he has already raised taxes on items like cigarettes and don’t forget the hidden tax for all the money GM and the banks have received.  Well now he’s saying that he will “possibly” have to raise taxes on the middle-class…imagine that?

From Fox News:  President Obama may have to break his campaign pledge and raise taxes on middle-class Americans to pay for public health care and the growing deficit, an eventuality that administration officials touched lightly on Sunday as they promoted an economy emerging from recession.

With an expected deficit next year of $1.8 trillion, and spending still being planned for a $1 trillion, 10-year health care reform, officials say something will have to be done to prevent further erosion of the economy.

“We will not get this economy back on track, recovery will be not strong and sustained, unless we … can convince the American people that we’re going to have the will to bring these deficits down once recovery is firmly established,” Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Asked point blank whether it was right to suggest it is a matter of when, not if, taxes will be raised, Geithner responded, “It is absolutely right.”

Read the full story here. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/02/obama-officials-end-recession-near/