Moderates are those very close to the center.
Guns | Should the Second Amendment stay in force? | ||||
ECONOMIC | |||||
Weighted Percent | Number | Unweighted Percent | Average Weight | Answer Text | Answer Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3.1% | 523 | 2.9% | 82.1 | NO! Private gun ownership is too dangerous. (The 2nd Amendment is an obsolete relic from frontier days.) | 0 |
12.2% | 2136 | 11.7% | 78.3 | No. Ban private handguns. Carefully control hunting weapons. | 24 |
60.3% | 11360 | 62.2% | 72.8 | OK, but require registration and background checks. | 50 |
19.6% | 3447 | 18.9% | 78.0 | Yes. Legal handguns actually prevent crime, save lives, and give women equality. (And registration requirements are a dangerous slippery slope.) | 75 |
4.8% | 808 | 4.4% | 81.4 | YES! Private MILITARY arms are the last bastion against tyranny. (And gun registration is a dangerous slippery slope) | 100 | 100% | 18274 | 100% | 75.1 | Total | 52.6 |
Subsidies & Tariffs | Should the government help certain "important" industries using subsidies, quotas, and/or tariffs? | ||||
ECONOMIC | |||||
Weighted Percent | Number | Unweighted Percent | Average Weight | Answer Text | Answer Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5.3% | 932 | 5.1% | 70.5 | Yes! It is high time that the US implement an Industrial Policy, guiding industries to our national purpose. | 0 |
12.4% | 2243 | 12.3% | 67.9 | Yes. The Freedom to Farm Act and free trade with Mexico have hurt too many workers. Repeal them. | 27 |
50.0% | 9299 | 50.9% | 66.4 | Some. The current amount of support for distressed industries is about right. | 52 |
27.1% | 4895 | 26.8% | 68.3 | No. Subsidies keep inefficient industries in this country keeping us poorer in the long run. Limit subsidies to help out in short term crises only. | 77 |
5.2% | 905 | 5.0% | 70.7 | NO! Giving taxpayer money to favored industries is theft, pure and simple! Eliminate all subsidies, quotas and protective tariffs. | 100 | 100% | 18274 | 100% | 67.5 | Total | 55.4 |
Education | Should the public schools be privatized? | ||||
ECONOMIC | |||||
Weighted Percent | Number | Unweighted Percent | Average Weight | Answer Text | Answer Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11.5% | 2040 | 11.2% | 91.5 | NO! We need to extend the public schools to day care and college. | 0 |
69.3% | 12571 | 68.8% | 89.6 | No. We need continued government ownership of schools. (Reform is possible.) | 45 |
15.4% | 2964 | 16.2% | 84.3 | Yes. Replace government-owned schools with government-provided vouchers for everyone. | 60 |
2.6% | 481 | 2.6% | 88.1 | Yes! Government vouchers for the poor only. (Let the middle and upper classes write their own checks.) | 80 |
1.2% | 218 | 1.2% | 86.9 | YES! Complete separation of education and state. (Let churches and other charities educate the poor.) | 100 | 100% | 18274 | 100% | 88.9 | Total | 43.7 |
Social Security | Should Social Security be phased out? | ||||
ECONOMIC | |||||
Weighted Percent | Number | Unweighted Percent | Average Weight | Answer Text | Answer Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
6.7% | 1157 | 6.3% | 81.2 | NO! All we have to do is start investing the Social Security trust fund in the stock market. | 0 |
5.4% | 930 | 5.1% | 80.4 | NO! Raise taxes as necessary when the baby boomers retire. | 20 |
42.3% | 7617 | 41.7% | 77.5 | No, but pay down the national debt now, before the baby boomers retire. | 50 |
24.9% | 4787 | 26.2% | 72.6 | Some. Ramp up the retirement age so the average number of years for receiving government checks is brought back down to 5. | 60 |
8.4% | 1553 | 8.5% | 75.8 | Yes. Replace Social Security with a purely aged-based MINIMUM income (comparable to current minimum Social Security payouts) funded out of general revenues. | 68 |
8.2% | 1474 | 8.1% | 77.3 | Yes. Replace Social Security with a forced savings plan for the young. | 76 |
4.1% | 756 | 4.1% | 76.3 | YES! Complete separation of retirement and state. Let people plan their own retirement. | 100 | 100% | 18274 | 100% | 76.4 | Total | 53.2 |
Workplace | Should the government continue to regulate employment relations in the name of Civil Rights? | ||||
ECONOMIC | |||||
Weighted Percent | Number | Unweighted Percent | Average Weight | Answer Text | Answer Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5.7% | 971 | 5.3% | 78.7 | YES! A job is a right. The burden of proof lies on the employer to fire anyone. All firings should be subject to judicial review. | 0 |
20.5% | 3516 | 19.2% | 78.4 | Yes! Workplace equality has not yet been achieved. Clearly more action is required. | 20 |
51.4% | 9543 | 52.2% | 72.5 | Yes. About what it is now. (Sure, some of the lawsuits are ridiculous, but it takes dire threats to bring certain employers into line.) | 44 |
18.5% | 3508 | 19.2% | 71.2 | No. The penalties for discrimination and/or offending people have gotten way out of line. The loss of a job is worth a few months' pay in damages at most. | 79 |
4.0% | 736 | 4.0% | 72.7 | NO! Hiring and working should be purely voluntary activities. (The marketplace will punish discriminators.) | 100 | 100% | 18274 | 100% | 73.8 | Total | 45.3 |
Taxes & Spending | Should the size of government be significantly reduced (over a period of time)? | ||||
ECONOMIC | |||||
Weighted Percent | Number | Unweighted Percent | Average Weight | Answer Text | Answer Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2.9% | 543 | 3.0% | 80.0 | NO! Government is too small. There are vital programs that are under-funded. | 0 |
27.1% | 5134 | 28.1% | 79.4 | No. Government is about the right size. | 40 |
51.1% | 9190 | 50.3% | 83.7 | Yes. Cut by 10-20% (eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse...). | 55 |
10.7% | 1951 | 10.7% | 82.7 | Yes! Cut significantly, 30-40%. | 65 |
4.0% | 698 | 3.8% | 86.4 | Yes! Cut spending roughly in half. | 75 |
3.1% | 542 | 3.0% | 85.5 | YES! Cut 70% or more. (The rightful function of government is to protect our borders and enforce laws protecting life, liberty and property.) | 86 |
1.1% | 216 | 1.2% | 79.0 | YES!! Taxation is theft! Government should be run from voluntary contributions and user fees only. | 100 | 100% | 18274 | 100% | 82.4 | Total | 52.7 |
The Draft | Should military service be voluntary, or should there be a draft? | ||||
PERSONAL | |||||
Weighted Percent | Number | Unweighted Percent | Average Weight | Answer Text | Answer Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11.9% | 2132 | 11.7% | 69.3 | Everyone should have the experience of two years of "National Service" (can be non-military). | 0 |
22.7% | 4243 | 23.2% | 66.6 | No draft now, but keep draft registration. | 50 |
46.9% | 8685 | 47.5% | 67.2 | Under extreme circumstances a draft could be acceptable. However, we do not need draft registration now. | 70 |
10.0% | 1771 | 9.7% | 70.2 | In times of crisis the problem is not lack of volunteers; the problem is lack of a prepared populace. Add military training to the basic high school curriculum and make training camps available without further obligation. | 80 |
8.5% | 1443 | 7.9% | 73.7 | The draft is slavery and therefore morally unacceptable. A country that needs a draft to defend itself deserves to lose. | 100 | 100% | 18274 | 100% | 68.1 | Total | 60.7 |
Censorship | Should the FCC regulate the content of broadcast television? | ||||
PERSONAL | |||||
Weighted Percent | Number | Unweighted Percent | Average Weight | Answer Text | Answer Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2.5% | 411 | 2.2% | 73.6 | Yes! The government should own the air waves. We need a system like the BBC. | 0 |
20.2% | 3449 | 18.9% | 71.9 | Yes. We need less sex, less violence, and/or more "educational" TV. | 25 |
45.2% | 8287 | 45.3% | 66.8 | Yes. The current level of FCC power is about right. | 50 |
25.1% | 4745 | 26.0% | 64.8 | No. Let broadcasters choose content and format. Only require that they scramble the really rude stuff. | 76 |
7.0% | 1382 | 7.6% | 62.3 | No! Any government censorship is intolerable. Give broadcasters the same freedoms of expression enjoyed by publishers of books and magazines -- including how much sex, violence and crude language. | 100 | 100% | 18274 | 100% | 67.1 | Total | 53.7 |
Sex | Should the government have laws regulating sex between consenting adults? Should they be enforced? | ||||
PERSONAL | |||||
Weighted Percent | Number | Unweighted Percent | Average Weight | Answer Text | Answer Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4.1% | 639 | 3.5% | 72.9 | Yes! It is time to actually enforce laws against sex out of wedlock and certain "deviant" acts. | 0 |
9.3% | 1519 | 8.3% | 68.8 | Yes. Time to enforce the laws against certain "deviant" acts. | 25 |
13.3% | 2167 | 11.9% | 68.9 | Yes. Time to enforce the laws against sex out of wedlock. | 30 |
29.8% | 5375 | 29.4% | 62.4 | Well, keep current sodomy and fornication laws on the books to make a statement, but don't enforce them. | 50 |
28.7% | 5633 | 30.8% | 57.4 | No. Sodomy and fornication laws are unenforceable and obsolete. Take them off the books. | 76 |
14.8% | 2941 | 16.1% | 56.5 | NO! The government has no right to regulate sex between consenting adults. Take all such laws off the books, including laws against prostitution. | 100 | 100% | 18274 | 100% | 61.6 | Total | 57.8 |
Drugs | Should the War on Drugs continue? | ||||
PERSONAL | |||||
Weighted Percent | Number | Unweighted Percent | Average Weight | Answer Text | Answer Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14.1% | 2258 | 12.4% | 86.0 | YES! And we need to redouble our efforts! More life sentences! More mandatory drug tests! More no-knock warrants! | 0 |
33.8% | 5879 | 32.2% | 79.2 | Yes! Continue on our present course. | 44 |
29.0% | 5437 | 29.8% | 73.6 | Well yes, but obey the Constitution. Repeal civil asset forfeiture and/or lessen some of the more outrageous punishments. | 59 |
21.5% | 4363 | 23.9% | 67.8 | No. Legalize the safer drugs such as marijuana. Tax and regulate them like liquor. | 81 |
1.6% | 337 | 1.8% | 65.6 | No! Legalize all recreational drugs for adult use. (What you take is none of the government's business as long as you handle your 'high' responsibly.) | 100 | 100% | 18274 | 100% | 75.4 | Total | 51.0 |
Immigration | Is illegal immigration a serious problem? Does it justify the cost and lost rights necessary to keep people out? | ||||
PERSONAL | |||||
Weighted Percent | Number | Unweighted Percent | Average Weight | Answer Text | Answer Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
26.8% | 4545 | 24.9% | 85.4 | Illegal immigration is a serious problem. Institute a national ID for everyone. | 0 |
45.0% | 7989 | 43.7% | 81.6 | Illegal immigration is a serious problem, but the solution is more border patrol and/or use of the military to guard the borders better. | 40 |
20.3% | 4198 | 23.0% | 70.0 | Keep the current system more or less. | 50 |
5.6% | 1086 | 5.9% | 74.4 | Keep the immigration quotas but keep our Constitutional rights also. Eliminate the proof of legal residency requirement to get a job. | 72 |
2.4% | 456 | 2.5% | 76.1 | Immigrants are a blessing to this country. Open the gates! Just require that they pay their own way. | 100 | 100% | 18274 | 100% | 79.3 | Total | 34.5 |