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by Michael Cote.
Original Post: More Polling of the American Voter
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Among the disputed results of the Election Day survey of voters was the finding that moral issues were critical in determining the outcome.
That survey found that 22 percent of respondents called it the most critical issue in making their decision. Some pollsters criticized the way the question was asked because it was presented as a general category, without any kind of explanation, along with a list of six other specific issues, including Iraq and health care.
In this poll, when allowed freely to name the issue that was most important in their vote, 6 percent chose moral values, although smaller numbers named issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. On a separate question in which voters were given a choice of nine issues, 5 percent chose abortion, 4 percent chose stem cell research and 2 percent chose same-sex marriage.
And, yes, I realize that polls, "stuh-tistics," and all that can be inaccurate, off base, and occasionally correct. We could probably pick this apart like a frog until the only thing left was that nasty death-smell and bunch on pink flesh.
If the numbers can be trusted, from looking at the raw data, it's still safe to say that us Americans are pretty well split: we're an indecisive lot in aggregate. There's some other interesting questions, and answers, in the poll results:
If people who chose to invest their Social Security taxes in the stock market lost their money, should it be the government's responsibility to make up the losses, or should this not be the government's responsibility?
To which (if I'm reading it right), 81% said, "no, we're fine leaving them fucked." Nice folks, those polled-folks. Real nice. You have to have someone to give your spare change to on the street corner...how else would your windshield get washed at every intersection? It's just simple eco-o-nomics, bub.
Meanwhile, here's the number I was looking for (which the article omits):
Do you think defining marriage as a union only between a man and a woman is an important enough issue to be worth changing the Constitution for, or isn't it that kind of issue?
Important Enough: 40. Not that kind of issue: 56
While people don't want Constitutional amendments, those 11 anti-homosexual referendums that passed show that people sure want something. And why not? Gosh, those folks are scary. I'm not even sure they're people, so why should we give them the same rights as everyone else? Oh, that's right, because it's "a man and woman," and if it were otherwise, America would suddely explode. I mean, blow-up real good like. KAA-FUCKIN-BOOM all up in your face!
Well, I mean, it used to be man and many women. And now it's many different men and women if you can afford the divorce. Oh, and why wait? You could go get married right away at a drive-thru in Las Vegas! Yay! The holy sanctuary of marriage! It's so Holy and Good! Only $19.95 at The Marriage Barn! (Inquire about our $59.95 DIY divorce kit.)
Woo-doggy, it's enough to make you long for those Old Timey days when you could just go give a few pure-white sheep to a woman's father and get her hand in marriage. Since when was a woman worth more than a few head of mutton? Hell, a couple of pork-chops should do in most cases, right? And if you don't like that, pops, how's about I get my people and my God here to smite down your whole outfit? How 'bout them grits? You want those chops with the mint-jelly? Good times, great traditions! Let's celebrate 'em all! Why leave that whole first volume out?
Also,
What does the phrase "moral values" mean to you?
Ethics 20 Beliefs/Belief in God 18 Being good 15 Ten Commandments 6 Traditional family structure (man,woman,kids) 6 Acting in moral/Christian way 4 Honesty 3 Attend religious services 1 Kindness 1 Tolerance 1 Availability of birth control 1 Other 6
Shocker there about "tolerance" and "kindness" being so low. Yeah, big fucking shocker. "Being good" is an "interesting" one because it's just a rephrasing of the question: "OK, wise-guy, then let's do it again. What does the phrase 'being good' mean to you?"
Tell you what though, except for honesty (which I'd put near the top), that list is about exactly the opposite for me. But, as I've said before, I'm a Godless-nihilist, so when it comes to so Jesus-values I'm lame-legged before the gates even open. I'll never catch that robe'it jack-rabbit.
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