September 19, 2011

Taxes and the Crazification Factor

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Does the American public want to reduce the deficit entirely with spending cuts, or does it support a combination of spending cuts and tax increases? Bruce Bartlett has been collecting the results of every poll that asks this question, and the answer is clear. On average, 65% of respondents want a combination of spending cuts and tax hikes. In 27 polls going back nearly a year, there are only two where the number is less than 60%.

So that’s that. Only 30% of the country wants to reduce the deficit solely with spending cuts, a number that’s suspiciously close to the Crazification Factor. The non-crazies all want some kind of balanced approach. If Obama sticks to his guns on this, he’s on solid ground.

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DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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