Politicians struggle to reach budget deals every year, but a new study suggests everyday people could get one.
When presented with a set of decisions to make on government spending and taxes, majorities of voters from both parties were able to agree on steps to reduce the nation’s deficit by $86 billion, according to a study by the University of Maryland's Program for Public Consultation.
When independents were thrown into the mix, the majority of voters agreed to $211 billion in deficit reduction.
“They seem more committed to reducing the deficit than Congress is. They make a lot of hard decision and there’s a lot of bipartisan consensus,” said Dr. Steven Kull, who led the study.
The study surveyed 1,817 registered voters reached through mail and telephone to state how much they agree or disagree with various approaches to taxes, spending, and deficits.
It then asked them to go through and make decisions on specific government spending and tax options, choosing whether to increase, decrease, or leave them stable. The results were weighted to match the latest census figures, and had a 2.3 percent margin of error.
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http://thehill.com/policy/finance/332602-voters-could-easily-reach-a-bipartisan-deficit-deal-study-findsTranslation: Voters don't get bribed by lobbyists and special interests.
