Gmail - Public Agenda Alert - Stimulating Discussions - jimuleda@gmail.com

Behind the Headlines: Stimulating Discussions
http://www.publicagenda.org/headlines/headlines_blog.cfm

The White House and Congressional leaders reached
agreement today on an economic stimulus package that
will offer taxpayer rebates of between $600 and $1,200.
The rebates should total $100 billion and be sent
out by June. The plan also includes $50 billion in
business tax breaks but does not extend unemployment
benefits.

This proposal has been moving quickly, and there hasn't
been time for any new public opinion data to come out
on the stimulus package. But there's no question that
public opinion on the economy has become much more
negative. The most recent data we're aware of shows
seven in 10 rating economic  conditions as as "only fair"
or "poor." That's a 20-point increase in the past year
(from 48 percent in a January 2007 Gallup poll to 68
percent earlier this month). There's a corresponding
24-point increase in those who say the economy is
getting worse rather than better (up to 77 percent in
the Gallup poll taken three weeks ago).

That shift has also been reflected in public attitudes
about the presidential campaign. In September, the
ABC/Washington Post poll found 11 percent who said the
economy was the most important issue for them in the
campaign, compared to 35 percent for Iraq. By this month,
the economy had increased to 29 percent, compared to
20 percent for Iraq.
Find out more Behind the Headlines:
http://www.publicagenda.org/headlines/headlines_blog.cfm