Most Say Trump Doesn't Pursue The Right Priorities To Solve U.S. Problems

The chart above reflects the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between June 26th and 29th of a nationwide sample of 1,606 adults (including 1,428 registered voters).The margin of error is 3.2 points for both adults and registered voters. 

Voters Think Trump And GOP Are Focusing On The Wrong Priorities

 

The charts above are from the Navigator Poll -- done between April 2nd and 6th of a nationwide sample of 1,000 registered voters, with a 3.1 point margin of error.

Public Thinks Trump Is Prioritizing The Wrong Things

 

The charts above are from the CBS News / YouGov Poll -- done between February 26th and 28th of a nationwide sample of 2,311 adults, with a 2.5 point margin of error.

Public Thinks Top Priority Of The GOP Is To Make Trouble For President Obama

It is no secret to those who stay abreast of politics that the Republican leaders met after the election of President Obama, and decided to oppose, obstruct, or delay everything the new president tried to accomplish. They decided their road back to power was not in cooperating and compromising for the good of the country, but to keep the president from accomplishing anything and then blame him for the failure to get anything done.

It didn't work, and the president trounced the GOP in the 2012 election. That hasn't stopped them or altered their tactics. But it now looks like the public is starting to figure this out. A new United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll (conducted between September 25th and 29th of 1,005 nationwide adults, with a 3.7 point margin of error) shows that Americans now believe the top priority of the congressional Republicans is to just cause trouble for President Obama.

Those taking the survey were asked to name the top priority of the Republican Party, and 32% said it was just to cause trouble for the president (including 14% of Republicans, 31% of Independents, and 50% of Democrats). Reducing government debt was in second place -- a full 12 points behind.

And the one-third of Americans who believe that are right. A perfect example is the Affordable Care Act (commonly called Obamacare). The ACA was originally a Republican idea -- created by Republican senators as an alternative to Clinton's proposed health care reform. And the plan was supported by Republicans for years -- until it was adopted by President Obama as his plan to reform the health care system. As soon as the president supported the plan, the Republicans withdrew their support and began calling it a socialist takeover of health care by the government.

Now the Republicans have shut down the federal government, just because the president (and Democrats) refuse to repeal, defund, or delay Obamacare (a Republican health care reform plan). The truth is they they have given up any semblance of trying to govern. If the president came out in favor of breathing, the GOP would rush to outlaw it. Their hatred of the president long ago destroyed what little common sense they had.

WTF ?

What Happened To Priorities ?

One of the biggest stories out here on the High Plains yesterday, was the signing of a contract extension for the football coach at Texas Tech University -- Mike Leach. Leach had brought the Tech football program from second-tier status to national power, and that was a feat many did not think was possible. After some rather public arguing, Leach met with Texas Tech Chancellor Kent Hance and a contract extension was agreed to.

In the new agreement, Leach's contract will be extended by three years. That means he is bound to Tech for another five years (he had two years left on his current contract), and over that five year period he will be paid $12.7 million dollars. That's over $2.5 million a year! But that's not out of line with what winning coaches in large schools are being paid these days.

Now I love a good college football or basketball game as much as nearly anyone. I've been known to blow a weekend watching several. But I can't help but think our priorities are completely out of whack.

What is the real purpose of college/university? Isn't it supposed to be to educate students? When did it become big-money entertainment? Or a minor-league system to train professional athletes (most of whom won't even graduate)?

If you are one of those who still believe the purpose of a college is to educate students, don't you have to wonder how they can justify paying coaches millions of dollars. Just think about what the real teachers at Tech (and other schools) are being paid. I'll bet they would be lucky to make 3-5% of Leach's salary, and yet they are the one's actually carrying out the school's mission -- education.

Making this seem even worse, is the fact that colleges have already priced themselves out of reach for many deserving youth, and they seem to keep raising tuition and other costs every year. Many of those lucky enough to find the money to attend a college, find themselves $20,000 to $50,000 in debt upon graduation. All of this is going to get even worse as millions lose their jobs and we slide into a depression.

If Tech (and other large schools) were professional sports franchises, then the huge salaries for coaches would be justified, but they aren't. In this failing economy, colleges should be cutting costs -- not raising them. And they should be putting their limited funds toward educating students. This is needed not only for the students' futures, but also for the future of our country.

It's time for our colleges and universities to get their priorities straight and re-discover their mission. Million dollar coaches' salaries can't be justified any more than million dollar corporate bonuses in this economy.