Just a Reminder about a Cultural Reality

by Purple Tree March 30, 2014

So we live in a country and in an area where some think that the media skews to the political right while others think it skews to the political left. I have my own opinion about this as likely you do too. Currently as I listened to the radio, read the daily newspaper, and watched TV, I found myself agreeing with those who believe the mainstream media has defined the USA as a center-right nation that supports smaller government, lower taxes, and cares most about the deficit. Even though I checked these beliefs a decade ago and found them not to be true, I though a check of the most current polls might have changed the story. Here is what I found:

Sixty-nine percent of Americans know the political and financial rules are rigged, and 63% believe the rich and special interests have too much power in Washington.
Seventy-two percent of Americans want to raise the minimum wage, 71% want to rebuild our infrastructure, and 68% want to make the hedge fund managers and corporations pay their fair share.
Sixty-nine percent of Americans want to invest in public education, and 86% want Congress to protect programs that provide help for the most vulnerable.
With regard to poverty, 69% favor raising the minimum wage to $10.10 and 54% favor raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations to expand programs for the poor.
When considering inequality, 60% believe the economic system in this country unfairly favors the wealthy and 69% think the government should act to reduce the gap between the rich and everyone else.
With specific regard to politics, 97% would support a federal law that imposes tough, new anti-corruption laws for politicians, lobbyists, and Super PACs, and 69% think the policies of the Republican Party generally favor the rich.

We are living in the midst of an ongoing war of ideas. Based on the recent credible polls above (Pew Research, CNN, Bloomberg, USA Today, etc.), it continues to appear that the majority of the good folks in our country are not being heard. The evidence remains the same, namely, America is not a center-right or center-left nation. It is a nation where the majority’s voice is being silenced by money, power, and ideology. Let’s work together for that which is “Good for the People.”