January, 2016, Part 5, By The Numbers: Out Of Step With Gun Control, Obama's Apporval Numbers Plummet, and More

This is the next post this month in our continuing theme of “by the numbers.” We do this theme occasionally where we look at the reality of the numbers in the world and not the lies, deceptions, and spin of the American political class. I used to work for a boss whose favorite quote was: “There is nothing more devastating to an opinion than the correct number.” By looking at the statistics, trends, and numbers in our world we can cut through the politicians’ smoke screen to truly understand what is going on and hopefully, remedy the issues of the day.

And there will be a lot of smoke to cut through in the next few posts. Always believe the numbers before you believe our politicians, numbers do not lie but politicians do.

1) Despite Obama’s compulsion to shred the Second Amendment, apparently the rest of America did not get the memo. According to the FBI, on Black Friday the agency processed 185,345 background checks for gun sales. This came out to a background check every two seconds. So, as Obama tries to disarm Americans, Americans decide to arm up. Just another disconnect between Washington and the rest of the world and reality.

2) How do we know that America’s and Obama’s views on the Second Amendment do not line up? Three days after Obama did his press conference on the executive orders for gun control he was going to implement without the consent of Congress, Rasmussen conducted an opinion poll on the subject of gun control:

• According to the poll results: “58 percent of likely U.S. voters say the government should only do what the president and Congress agree on when it comes to gun control.” 
• In addition, 59% of poll participants “say the additional oversight will not reduce the number of [the] shootings” Obama referenced to justify passing gun control in the first place.
• 50% of those polled oppose more gun control by a 50% to 45% margin.

These Rasmussen results are consistent with a recent poll done by CNN/ORC:

• 54% said they oppose Obama’s executive orders on gun control.
• 57% said they do not think that Obama’s executive orders will be effective in reducing gun-related deaths in the country.

As with most issues facing the country, this President and the rest of the Washington political class are out of step with what the voters and citizens want. The Rasmussen and CNN polls prove this point on gun control and Obama’s executive actions.

3) How is the President doing on other issues, given that he seems to be acting contrary to the wishes of the majority of Americans? A recent poll by Fox News show that his numbers on other issues are not much better than they are with the gun control numbers we just reviewed:

• 61% of those polled said they were unhappy with the direction of the country.
• Only 38% say they are satisfied with the direction.
• Only 23% of those polled think that the American economy is good or excellent.
• 76%, more than three out out of four, think the economy is fair or poor.
• Only 27% think America is strong and confident today.
• 53% of those polled say that Obama has “mostly failed” relative to “improving health care.”
• A majority, 51%, believe that Obama has failed in “stimulating the economy.”
• 58% say Obama has failed in “making the country safer.”
• 60% say he has failed to “improve America’s image around the world.”
• 65% say he has failed to “handle ISIS.”
• 62% say the he has failed to “handle illegal immigration.”
• 59% say Obama has failed to “improve race relations.”

Now, before liberals and Democrats pooh pooh these poll results from Fox, understand they are consistent with recent CNN poll results. The CNN poll found that 75% of Americans were “dissatisfied” with the governing of the country and are 69% at least “somewhat angry” about the situation. 

We are not happy about a lot of what Washington has done to us and the country and our freedoms. These poll numbers tell the true story.

4) Let’s look at some more numbers that show how much Americans are fed up with the political status quo in this country. A recent Gallup poll found that 75% of Americans believe that “corruption is widespread throughout the government.” This corruption perception is up a whopping 10% since Obama came into office.

On an international basis, this is also embarrassing. The percentage of Americans who think their government is corrupt is twice the number of Germans who believe their government is corrupt. And not only are we embarrassed we are also angry with the situation since 69% of those polled are “somewhat angry about the ways things are in the country today.

Interestingly, 97% Trump supporters say they were dissatisfied with government in America and 91% reported they were “angry” about it, giving you an indication of what vein Trump has tapped into. Given that voter turnout has dropped over the past two national elections, it will be interesting to see if Trump’s angry supporters reverse this trend in 2016. 

Bottom line is that Americans are not happy with what Washington is doing to their lives, their safety, and their country, the numbers are pretty clear on each of these aspects.

5) One reason why the economy might still stink years after the recession ended is the reality that the Obama administration continues to heap more and more regulations on businesses in this country:

• The Federal Register in 2015 was the largest it has ever been from a regulation perspective.
• According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Register is now an amazing 82,036 pages long.
• The Obama administration has set the record six times for having the largest Federal Register, leading the Wall Street Journal to call his administration “the most prolific American regulator of all time.”
• More than 500 pages of the Register directly affect small businesses, the type of business that can least afford to divert time, money, and resources to complying with excessive regulations.
• Many of Obama’s regulations were done without public comment and without Congressional approval, something that should not happen in a democracy and under the now laughable promise of “the most transparent administration ever.” 
• According to Politico, the administration has about 4,000 more regulations ready to be implemented in 2016.

Pathetic abuse of the government process and businesses that are trying to grow and be successful. The more time and money that businesses spend on regulations the less time and money they can spent on growing the economy and hiring new workers, which might explain why over 14 million Americans cannot find full time jobs in the Obama economy. 

I find it hard to believe that previous Presidencies were so bad at their job that the Obama administration had to fix their oversights by likely setting the record seven times out of eight years for having the most regulations ever.

That is enough numbers for today. Americans are angry and frustrated with they believe is a corrupt government and political process, they are in mass disagreement with Obama and what he is trying to force on the country from a gun control perspective, and despite having entered office with sky high approval ratings, the country has soured on Obama’s handling of just about every issue from guns to ISIS to the economy. 

The numbers do not lie even if politicians do, things are not good in America today. More numbers tomorrow.

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