Amid the storm of government control that is sweeping over our economy — the housing bailouts, the Wall Street bailouts, the Detroit bailouts, the stimulus, cap-and-trade, health-care “reform,” fuel-economy standards, banking regulations, and more — it’s easy to suspect that we’re all Keynesians now, or all socialists now, or all corporatists now.
But a recent Rasmussen poll suggests that Americans still think there’s something noble about the free market and tawdry about cozying up to big government:
Public opposition to the auto bailouts may translating into consumer buying decisions, with 46% of Americans now saying they are more likely to buy a car from Ford because it did not take government money to stay in business.
Some more tidbits:
Only 26% of Americans say it was a good idea for the federal government to take ownership of GM as the auto giant was on the verge of collapse. Seventeen percent (17%) say Americans should protest the bailout by boycotting GM and refusing to buy its cars.
Eighty percent (80%) of voters want the government to sell its stake in General Motors and Chrysler as soon as possible.
But, some qualifications:
1) You shouldn’t put too much stake in polls into what people will do. Their emotional reaction to bailouts are much more important when a person is not facing an actual sticker price or financing deal.
2) Ford has taken some government money, both in the cash-for-clunkers for which they lobbied, and in clean-car subsidies.
