Power

"A majority of Americans (56%) believe that government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses, while 39% hold the view that government should do more to solve the nation's problems. Responses to this question have been quite fluid over the two decades in which Gallup has asked the question. In October 2001, in the aftermath of 9/11, 50% said government should do more to solve the country's problems -- the highest in Gallup's history of asking the question. Sentiment that government should do more was lowest in the 1995-1998 time frame, when only about a third held this view and about 6 in 10 said government was doing too much.

Republicans and Democrats respond to this question in extremely different ways, with 88% of Republicans saying the government is doing too much, while 66% of Democrats say the government should do more. Independents tilt toward the "too much" view." (Despite Negativity, Americans Mixed on Ideal Role of Gov't)

The role of government in this country is relative to the state of the Union - not only economically - but as it pertains to security as well. In the aftermath of 9/11 Americans wanted to be protected, so the USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001) was signed into law on October 26, 2011. From 1995-1998 our economy was strong and it was also a time of peace, therefore, Americans wanting less government involvement was understandable. Republicans traditionally prefer smaller government and less regulations, whereas Democrats traditionally prefer more government and more regulations.

Poll numbers paint a picture for us, they describe how Americans feel about an array of topics. I chose this passage because it helped me gain a greater understanding as to how current events affects how much government involvement Americans prefer. This passage also helped me understand the importance of these poll being conducted, especially now with the upcoming 2016 Presidential election closing in on us, and the Republican debates going on. Presidential candidate poll numbers will be very influential in who becomes the next President of the United States of America.



Sources:

Newport, Frank. "Despite Negativity, Americans Mixed on Ideal Role of Gov't." Gallup.com. N.p., 28 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.

"Bill Summary & Status 107th Congress (2001 - 2002) H.R.3162." Bill Summary & Status. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.