Sunday, October 08, 2006

Voice of the Voter: What Really Matters...



In today's Florence Morning News, they released the results of their Voice of the Voter survey. Here are the results:

Local Issues:

1. School Quality

2. Taxes

3. Jobs

4. Managing Growth/ Crime (tie)

6. Parks and Recreation/ Environment.

State Issues:

1. Protecting Children from Sexual Predators

2. Health Care

3. Unemployment

4. Tax Reform

5. Credit Rating/ School Choice (tie)

National Issues:

1. War in Iraq

2. Economy/ Homeland Security (tie)

4. Gas Prices

5. Social Security/ Immigration/ Gay Marriage (tie)

8. Jobs

Well, the people have spoken. Are some issues in the wrong categories? Are some not controllable by elected officials? Comments?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is a fact that 25 years ago the U.S. was ranked first in the world in education in the department of mathematics, now we are around 20th. Education should be at the top of all 3 lists and is the key to solving the rest of the issues at hand...that is of course if we have elected officials that don't have corporate dollars feeding their pockets. It's not a coincidence that the stock market is up and gas prices are down right now.
After education, local issues I believe should have jobs before taxes. If we have more jobs with more people paying taxes there shouldn't be a need to keep raising them.
Environment is a national and global problem, yes, a problem that we and the rest of the world need to deal with. At the rate in which the environment is declining, Florence should return to being oceanfront property in the next few hundred years. It was part of the ocean floor at one time ya know.
What I don't get is the fact that many European countries really have their act together, yet we refuse to learn any lessons from them or implement them in any way...because we have too much pride in this country to say, "well, maybe there is a better way to do it".
Maybe, just maybe if we took the time and money we put into Iraq and every other countries problems, NASA, etc. and put it into improving family and education issues here in the U.S., we might just improve in all of the other areas we have concerns with. But, money is the root of all evil...and there is ALOT of evil in D.C.

earlcapps said...

PeeDee - interesting maritial selection. Where does she fit in on your family pretzel (as opposed to a tree)?

The issues aren't too surprising, but I'd be interested in seeing the percentages for each issue.

Joshua Gross said...

I'd be interested also in where folks stand on these issues, not just which issues were important to them... I didn't see the FMN story; was that included?

Thoroughbred 401k said...

Nope. It was 1-to-10 scale survey, and views and actual numbers were not given. That would leave uncertainty if the views are for or against an issue. This survey just gauged it's importance. Let the guessing for positions begin!!

Anonymous said...

just a few ramblings

So for this "scientific" poll, from local issues there is a potential conflict with 3 and 4A, and how much local restraint though "managing" growth can and will restrict jobs. Personal observation, the US 52 corridor from just west of Hog Eye (Nan Ya palstics) to I-95 and maybe a bit beyond, has attracted significant industrial growth over the last twenty years, including Roche and GE. Is there a desire to unbridle development or a preference to push some out of Florence County into Marion county down 501?

Environmental is better handled at a state/regional level IMHO.

Curious that health care falls as a state issue vice national ditto "gay marriage" as national vs state where, within the Tenth Amendment (or 1/10th suggestion if you're from Rio Linda or the ACLU) it belongs to the states, interstate commerce clause notwithstanding.

Jobs/employment are best not controlled by electeds, lassiez faire though appears to be missing from the education system in economics.

more later!

Anonymous said...

Education will always be the top of most list until we bring our population growth down to zero %. I still believe we waste too much on education and should try to privatize it. No matter who is in charge it fails in SC on the public scale. My tax bills in several different counties the most goes to education and I get sick of it. My children are grown. My grandchildren live out of state and all my relatives or about 95 % plus send their kids to private school. All the money I pay does not help my family any so to speak except to help my neighbor maybe bull. We at least need school vouchers to let the parents choose and people with no kids should not have to pay as much as people with kids in wasted tax money. Yes we should pay some ok. Tax and employment are big issues. Lower tax and you will see more employment due to more money on the street. Let me get to Houston before I get mad already late for my flight.

Anonymous said...

One more thing I have been to Europe and to say they have their act together is wrong. I was in London a few weeks ago and gas was about 8 bucks a gallon if you do the math. A 12 oz bottle of water at a rest area was over 2 pounds sterling equals several dollars about 4. My hotel was about 450.00 dollars a night at Gatwick a little less up north. Supper for two at Gatwick without tip was 130.00 dollars and my flight cost me almost 2700.00 on U S Airways for coach. I did upgrade to Envoy/First due to status. It cost me 45.00 dollars a day to take my car into London as a enviromental issue. The list goes on. All I heard was about the tax people paid, the amount of Muslims and other people that had entered Great Britain illegal also the cost of gas, unemployment etc. Not much different than here also how bad Tony Blair was and George Bush. Me being a Bush person I was taking up for the USA and our war on terror including what we are doing in the mideast. My friends in France, Germany, Holland and Switzerland are hearing and saying the same things. Get outside the USA and you will see. We may not be perfect but we are the best.

Anonymous said...

PDP (reminds me of the first computer I used) that is an amusing clip. Derned shame that the RNC hasn't the 'nads to play it, though it will run through the blogosphere.

Anonymous said...

Check out how the DNC's surroagtes temporarily blocked the Zucker clip and then briefly had it under the adult material restricited, gotta sign on category.