New poll finds that 39 percent of Americans want government to 'stay out of Medicare'

Dogbert

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As ThinkProgress has noted before, conservatives have frequently obscured the fact that Medicare is a government-run single-payer program. Constituents appearing at health care town halls have even demanded that their members of Congress keep their ?government hands off of Medicare.? Now, a new Public Policy Polling poll finds that millions of Americans do not realize that the federal government runs Medicare:
One poll question indicative of how difficult it is to gain public understanding on a complicated issue asked if respondents thought the government should ?stay out of Medicare,? something inherently impossible. 39% said yes.
The poll also shows that an additional 15% of respondents were ?not sure? if the government should be involved in Medicare. Only 46% of respondents disagreed with the proposition that the government should stay out of the government-run program.


Update The poll also finds that only 62 percent of respondents believe that President Obama was born in America. Of the 38 percent who either don't believe or are unsure, some think he was born in Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, or France. Six percent of the total poll respondents also don't think Hawaii is a U.S. state.
 
A statisist is someone who'll drown crossing a river that's one meter deep on average.

- Unknown.
 
Bending statistics or not, I would believe that 39% of Americans are too ignorant to realize that Medicare is a government program. We don't have a public option because it wouldn't work here; we don't have a public option here because people are willfully fucking ignorant.
 
Six percent of the total poll respondents also don't think Hawaii is a U.S. state.

LOL Get a brain morans!
 
Oh god what I would give for a properly educated electorate.


It's in the government's interest to keep the electrorate as dumb as possible.





The desire to be a polititian should automatically bar you from ever being one!
- Billy Connolly -
 
Hawii - just got to love their flag!

It is because we Brits gave them independence.

Short version, from memory:

Cook "discovers" Hawaii. Natives, non-plussed until he touches the chief. At which point, they chase him to the beach. His ship is offshore. Cook can't swim. Natives catch Cook and kill him. Then eat him. Crew return to Britain, having "claimed" Hawaii. British monarchy unimpressed, especially after hearing about the eating.

French realise Brits don't give a damn, so go and "conquer" it. Natives still non-plussed, but don't eat anyone this time.

Ambitious British guy seeks to find favour with monarchy. Sets off and reconquers Hawaii from disinterested and distracted French. Returns home in triumph.

"Aha your Majesty! I bring you a new land I have conquered!"

"You bloody idiot. We didn't want it. Now go back there and give it back!"

"To who? The French?"

"Good point. Just let whoever is on it have it."

Ambitious British guy sails back, declares native Hawaiians can have their land back. Natives... non-plussed, but quite happy that they aren't going to get invaded any more. Put British flag on their flag as a sign of gratitude.
 
a recent study found that the majority of americans don't think that americans are stupid
 
They probably didn't understand the question then.
 
You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Plissken again.

Dammit
 
It is because we Brits gave them independence.

Short version, from memory:

Cook "discovers" Hawaii. Natives, non-plussed until he touches the chief. At which point, they chase him to the beach. His ship is offshore. Cook can't swim. Natives catch Cook and kill him. Then eat him. Crew return to Britain, having "claimed" Hawaii. British monarchy unimpressed, especially after hearing about the eating.

French realise Brits don't give a damn, so go and "conquer" it. Natives still non-plussed, but don't eat anyone this time.

Ambitious British guy seeks to find favour with monarchy. Sets off and reconquers Hawaii from disinterested and distracted French. Returns home in triumph.

"Aha your Majesty! I bring you a new land I have conquered!"

"You bloody idiot. We didn't want it. Now go back there and give it back!"

"To who? The French?"

"Good point. Just let whoever is on it have it."

Ambitious British guy sails back, declares native Hawaiians can have their land back. Natives... non-plussed, but quite happy that they aren't going to get invaded any more. Put British flag on their flag as a sign of gratitude.
Americans - who never have empires - take look at flag and go that's nice we will keep that!
 
Americans - who never have empires - take look at flag and go that's nice we will keep that!

The U.S. had an empire, it sucked at it. See the Philippines.
 
Americans - who never have empires - take look at flag and go that's nice we will keep that!

Actually, joking aside, there is a small yet growing movement of Hawaiians who want a recognition of their native heritage (like Native Americans) and ultimately a sort of semi-independence (sort of becoming another Puerto Rico).

I suspect the existence of a huge military site of massive strategic importance is going to be a large obstacle in the way of that sort of thing.

It will be interesting to see how Hawaii-born* Barack Obama deals with the situation.


*Or is he? Or is he?**
**Yes he is.
 
Ambitious British guy seeks to find favour with monarchy. Sets off and reconquers Hawaii from disinterested and distracted French. Returns home in triumph.

"Aha your Majesty! I bring you a new land I have conquered!"


Blackadder?

He did the same with potatoes.
 
Americans suck at geography always have so that doesn't really surprise me.

Oh god what I would give for a properly educated electorate.

That reminds me of this video
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp4iI59BfpQ[/YOUTUBE]:lol:
 
*watches video*

*Falls of chair laughing!*

Please, someone tell me these people are few and far between? Please, please tell me they had to dig for them!

How can you draw such a blank about the world?
 
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