Instant Panel Rates Bush's Speech

When surveyed immediately after Tuesday night's State of the Union address, 82% of those who watched the speech approved of President Bush's proposals, but 68% say they
doubt the President will be able to accomplish all of his goals; both percentages are on a par with results from the same survey last year.

These are among the findings of a CBS News/Knowledge Networks poll based on a scientific sample of television viewers of the event. CBS News has featured the survey results -- which were obtained using Knowledge Networks' KnowledgePanel --in its Web coverage of President Bush's address.

The scientific poll uniquely supports an analysis of the impact of President Bush's address on the opinions of viewers, who indicated that:

-- 59% believe that President Bush and the Democratic Congress will not be able to work together on a bipartisan agenda
-- 16% say President Bush's Iraq strategy is "very likely" to be effective, while 42% say it is "somewhat likely to succeed"
-- 67% feel President Bush will make the right decisions about energy conservation, and 56% are in agreement with his handling of immigration

Perceptions of Republicans and Democrats were quite different on many key points; while 52% of Republicans said President Bush would be able to achieve all of the goals in his speech, just 17% of Democrats concurred.

Similarly, 30% of Republicans said Bush's Iraq strategy was "very likely to succeed," compared to just 6% of Democrats. Further, Democrats and independents were less likely than Republicans to think that President Bush will make the right decisions about U.S. energy conservation and consumption; proportions were 50% (Democrats), 63% (independents), and 88% (Republicans).

To obtain a valid assessment of reactions to the address, a random sample of the nationwide online research panel, KnowledgePanel, was asked in the few days before the speech about their intentions to view and their opinions on national policy. Those intending to view the President's
speech were invited to provide their opinions immediately after the address, with survey results delivered to CBS News in less than 15 minutes.


Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

Bush Climate Plan Called 'Very Small Step'

President Bush laid out a plan in his State of the Union address that the White House says will confront climate change by stopping the projected growth of carbon dioxide emissions from cars, light trucks, and SUVs within 10 years.

President Bush used his State of the Union address last night to call for a 20 percent reduction in gasoline consumption by 2020.

"America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. These technologies will help us become better stewards of the environment -- and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change," Bush says.

However, more must be done, says Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.

Claussen was one of 14 corporate and environmental CEOs who called on Congress to enact mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions this week in order to address the climate change problem.

"Across the United States, scientists, CEOs, environment groups, stategovernments, and members of Congress, are seeking a comprehensive approach to global climate change and what the president is proposing is really onlya very small step in that direction; his plan only affects the transportation sector, which accounts for roughly one-third of US greenhouse gas emissions; and it is unclear how real this commitment is," Claussen says. "If we hope to deal with climate change in a reasonable manner, we needan approach that is both economy-wide and mandatory, and that will put us on a path toward significant greenhouse gas reductions."


Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

Bush Should Include Federal Research As Priority

President Bush should not neglect U.S. federal spending on research and development in either his televised State of the Union speech tonight nor his upcoming proposed federal budget for the 2008 fiscal year, according to a group that promotes research.

"The president in his State of the Union speech and 2008 budget proposal has a chance to show real leadership by calling for renewed emphasis on science and research as the future of our economy," says former U.S. Rep. John Edward Porter (R-Ill.), chair of Research!America.

"America's economic destiny is, without question, tied to our investment in scientific research. Research offers the promise of better health and of better-paying jobs for a better future. I hope the president will outline a vision to speed the pace of science and better prepare our children for careers in a knowledge-based economy.

"In an August 2006 Research!America poll, a majority of Americans said more funding for medical and health research now is essential to our future health and economic prosperity," Porter adds. "This is a time of unprecedented opportunity for science when the U.S., with our talent pool and research capabilities, could be leading the world in medical and scientific advances. We must boost spending for all science and research, not just certain areas. At stake is our standing in the world and our children's standard of living."

In particular, President Bush must focus both on federal support for research and development in the physical sciences and health sciences, says Research!America President Mary Woolley.
"We applaud the president's anticipated call for more physical science funding in 2008, such as the research funded by the National Science Foundation," Woolley says. "However, advances in physical and life sciences go hand in hand: how would we have outpatient laser treatment for glaucoma without research that developed safe lasers and research that helped us understand the workings of the eye?

"Research!America would be extremely concerned if the president's 2008 budget for research for health fails even to match inflation, as was thecase last year for the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality -- or worse, falls below prior years' budgets, as occurred last year with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's critical core programs," she adds. The investments of the past are now bearing fruit, for instance, in the decrease in cancer mortality, and theAmerican people expect that success to continue -- not slow down. When federally funded health research stalls, we lose family members prematurely, our economy loses productivity when workers become sick, and America begins to lose its position as a global leader in science."


Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

Consumers Union: Bush Needs To Show Real Leadership On Health, Energy

President Bush's expected call Tuesday for more tax breaks for buying health insurance, and more incentives for increasing the use of alternative fuels, falls short of laying out a real, comprehensive plan to address the nation's growing health care and energy problems, the organization Consumers Union says.

President Bush will give his annual State of the Union speech Tuesday evening before a joint session of Congress. The Bush speech will be televised.

President Bush is now looking for areas where he can work with the newly Democrat-controlled Congress. For the first time, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be sitting behind President Bush as he makes his speech.

"Last year the president made health care and energy reform key parts of his agenda, and we're still looking at record numbers of uninsured Americans and a growing reliance on oil," says Bill Vaughan, senior policy analyst for Consumers Union, which publishes Consumers Reports magazine.

"If the president really wants to take the lead on skyrocketing health care costs and securing our nation's energy future, he must put forth comprehensive strategies that truly help consumers," Vaughan says.

President Bush is expected to propose tax breaks for those purchasing their own health insurance as a solution to helping the 46 million of Americans without health coverage. But most low and middle-income families don't have enough income to purchase health insurance even with tax breaks, Vaughan says.

"Tax deductions do little or nothing for those people who are uninsured and devastated by high health care costs," Vaughan says. "When an individual family policy for decent health coverage costs about $11,000 a year, tax credits of $1,000 to $3,000 to buy insurance are almost meaningless."

Bush also is expected to continue pushing tax-free savings accounts for high-deductible insurance policies. "Giving tax breaks only encourages healthier and wealthier people to opt-out of traditional employer-based insurance, leaving behind a fractured insurance pool that hurts the older and sicker," Vaughan says.

Consumers Union also is urging President Bush to support legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for seniors, and to adequately fund drug safety efforts.

President Bush also is expected to offer more incentives for increasing alternative fuels, and press reports indicate he may call for increasing fuel economy standards on passenger cars.

Consumers Union says President Bush and Congress should work together on legislation that sets high but achievable standards for improving the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks.

"Setting strong fuel efficiency standards would save billions of gallons of gas a year," says Anne Wright, senior policy analyst. "This move, coupled with mandates for use of energy efficient, renewable technologies, would be a positive step forward.

"We need leadership on an energy policy that includes real improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency, alternatives to gasoline, and energy conservation," Wright adds. "Rhetoric that translates into more do-nothing policies doesn't help Americans frustrated with high gas prices or the lack of innovation to ease our dependence on oil."


Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz