Majority Of Republicans Believe US Is Better Now Than Four Years Ago, Poll Says

Ahead of the Republican National Convention, new polls show a majority of Republicans believe the U.S. is in better shape now than it was four years ago, despite the nation grappling with a pandemic and economic crisis. A CBS News survey of registered Republican voters shows 75% of them believe the U.S. is better off than it was in 2016.

The poll reveals that 82% of GOP voters believe President Donald Trump’s leadership has made the country better off. Another 70% said the national economy was the reason why the U.S. is doing better, with 64% citing their family’s finances as the reason why they believe the national situation has improved.

The unemployment rate is at 10.2%. In the second quarter, U.S. output fell at an annualized rate of 32.9% – the sharpest contraction in the country's history.

The poll also showed that 57% of Republicans say the U.S. death toll for COVID-19 was "acceptable." According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. death toll is over 177,000, as of Monday evening.

As the convention kicks off Monday evening, Trump said the event will be “uplifting and positive.” Trump has criticized the Democratic National Convention for being the "gloomiest" in history.

Democrats hold vastly different views of how the nation is doing under Trump and have promoted nominee Joe Biden as a change from Trump’s “chaotic” presidency. Although most Republicans feel optimistic about the country, 65% of all registered voters believe the U.S. is not doing better than it was four years ago, the poll says.

Former President Barack Obama criticized the state of the nation under Trump during his DNC address last week.

“Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe. 170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone while those at the top take in more than ever. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before,” Obama said in the address.

Trump’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and his handling of race relations after the death of George Floyd in May have generated controversy. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll shows 66% of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track, while the latest Politico/Morning Consult poll shows that 74% of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track.

https://www.ibtimes.com/majority-republicans-believe-us-better-now-four-years-ago-poll-says-3033884

Save Yourself: Stop Believing in Lockdown

Storied minds have argued that a failure to critically examine our beliefs makes us culpable for adverse outcomes. Beliefs lead to actions, which impact other people.

As Voltaire wrote during the Enlightenment — when society still had time away from the screen to reflect on philosophy, morality, and fundamental truth — “those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”

This has never been more true than in the age of social media, when information and opinions constantly bombard us from all sides, isolating us from our own thoughts and values. We have a moral duty to critically examine our beliefs — especially our belief in “lockdown,” the most oppressive and universally destructive public policy implemented in our lifetimes.

Is it the least-restrictive means available to minimize casualties in this pandemic?

Our belief in it was formed when we felt legitimate fear — this can lead to irrationality — so we really cannot answer this question in good conscience unless and until we take the time to conduct a proper, honest examination with the benefit of hindsight.

Any number of atrocities can occur when human beings act on unfounded, unexamined beliefs.

Consider the example of the shipowner in William Kingdon Clifford’s 1876 essay, “The Ethics of Belief.” Troubled by the condition of his aging ship, which others have suggested is not well-built and is in need of repairs, he eventually pacifies himself with these comforting thoughts: “She had gone safely through so many voyages and weathered so many storms that it was idle to suppose she would not come home from this trip also.” The shipowner develops a sincere conviction that she will not sink, and acts on his belief.

“He watched [the ship’s] departure with a light heart, and benevolent wishes for the success of the exiles in their strange new home that was to be; and he got his insurance-money when she went down in mid-ocean and told no tales.

What shall we say of him? Surely this, that he was verily guilty of the death of those men. It is admitted that he did sincerely believe in the soundness of his ship; but the sincerity of his conviction can in nowise help him, because he had no right to believe on such evidence as was before him. He had acquired his belief not by honestly earning it in patient investigation, but by stifling his doubts.”

The shipowner’s belief was built on sand — he knew he had questions to answer, but instead he took the comfortable path, and other people had to pay with their lives for it. While it may appear that he personally got off easy, his reputation, confidence and conscience surely suffered.

People who harbor false beliefs and ignore warning signs routinely end up grievously harmed: consider the investors in Elizabeth Holmes’ Theranos scam, or Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, or the parents of Larry Nassar’s little-girl gymnasts. These examples prove just how easily the trust and credulity of very intelligent people is easily exploited. It happens like magic, in broad daylight — millions are lost or gained, irreparable actions are taken — with the victim all the while believing he or she is choosing to participate in a beneficial relationship or situation.

The passengers trusted the shipowner. The investors trusted the entrepreneurs. The parents trusted the doctor. Should WE be trusting the government?

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https://www.aier.org/article/save-yourself-stop-believing-in-lockdown/