The feedback from last week's column on the need for more "slapstick comedy" from our entertainment media was really amazing. Thanks to all readers who wrote in to support my view that we need more Lucille Balls and fewer Jon Stewarts making us laugh.
The number of voters who expect their own personal taxes to increase under the Obama administration has fallen to its lowest level since April 2009.
Americans overwhelmingly agree that credit cards entice people into spending money they don't have, but most adults tend to think others need to cut back on their credit card usage more than they do personally.
More Americans are confident about using their credit cards for purchases on the Internet, despite an increase in the number of adults who say they've been the victims of credit card theft online.
Even during the busy holiday shopping season, fewer Americans with credit cards think they'll miss their bill payments in the next six months compared to past surveys.
Voters continue to send mixed signals about the $787-billion economic stimulus plan approved last year by Congress, even as spending for some portions of the plan begin to run out.
President Obama in a meeting last week with top U.S. business leaders urged them to use some of their ample cash reserves to create new jobs, and most voters think that’s a good idea. But they draw the line at the government making the businesses spend their money that way.
As the year draws to a close, it's time to get a little philosophical and take a longer-range view of some things that are happening in the world.
The federal government recently reported than 14% of the U.S. population or a record 42.9 million people received food stamps in September, with up to 20% getting them in some states.
Most voters still approve of the tax cutting deal between President Obama and senior congressional Republicans, but support has fallen somewhat – in some surprising places.
"I formed a business with two partners a couple of years ago. We set up a corporation, and divided the stock three ways. Me and my brother each had 40 percent of the company, and a good friend of ours had the remaining 20 percent.
Americans remain just as pessimistic about the country's job market as they have been all year.
First things first. Despite official Washington’s increasing fixation on the federal budget deficit, most voters think cutting federal spending is a bigger priority.
Looks like the Republicans want the fox watching the henhouse. Ron Paul, one of Congress’ sharpest critics of the Federal Reserve, has been chosen to lead the House subcommittee that monitors the Fed’s activities, and he promises to push again for a full audit of the nation’s central bank.
Americans historically have always worked to make sure their children were better off than they were, but the number who believe today's youth will be better off than their parents has fallen to its lowest level ever.
Though Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has announced plans to commit another $600 billion to the banking system in an effort to jumpstart the economy, most Americans still aren’t confident the Fed can control inflation and keep interest rates down.
Consumers may be feeling the holiday spirit early, as their increased optimism toward the economy and their personal finances in October led to a rise in the Discover U.S. Spending Monitor for the first time since May.
With continuing problems in the economy and the national unemployment rate up to 9.8%, Americans nationwide are even less confident in President Obama’s economic advisers than they were three months ago.
Although the United States has officially been out of an economic recession for over a year, Americans are even more pessimistic about how long it will take the housing and stock markets to recover.
Americans remain pessimistic about the chances for economic recovery in the short-term and continue to pin their hopes on a long-term turnaround.
