[Doug64]

Whether they poll Americans, Registered Voters, or Likely Voters will make a difference. That said, I do find it interesting that the highest and lowest on the list both poll Americans.

[Drlee]

It has to be one of two things. Either there is some difference (I did not say flaw) in the questions they are asking, how they are asking them or there is a difference in the pool of people from which they are selecting their participants.

The spread is very wide indeed.

[Doug64]

It has to be one of two things. Either there is some difference (I did not say flaw) in the questions they are asking, how they are asking them or there is a difference in the pool of people from which they are selecting their participants.

The spread is very wide indeed.

There's also the possibility that one or both of them had an outlier result, it does happen occasionally.

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

President Trump closed the week with his highest favorability rating since mid-June of last year while the finger-pointing continues over the latest school massacre.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of Trump’s job performance. President Obama earned 45% approval on this date in the second year of his presidency.

The president’s plan to fix the nation’s ailing infrastructure calls for generating $1.5 trillion in upgrades through ventures involving the federal government, state government and private industry. Most voters like the idea of finding outside sources to help fund the infrastructure plan.

Just 33% of Americans rate the safety of roads, bridges, dams, tunnels and the like in the area where they live as good or excellent. But only slightly more (35%) are willing to pay anything extra in taxes each year to upgrade and improve America’s infrastructure.

Voters in general think the president of the United States holds the right amount of power, though they’re not sure if that makes him the most powerful person in the world.

Following the Florida killings, Democrats and many in the media are clamoring for more gun control. But most American don’t believe stricter gun control laws will reduce violent crime. They also don’t trust the federal government to enforce gun laws fairly.

Still, support for more gun control is now equal to calls for more treatment of the mentally ill as the best way to stop incidents of this kind. But only 32% believe schools can be made completely safe from violence like this.

Most voters continue to view the embattled Federal Bureau of Investigation favorably and aren’t ready to fire the FBI’s boss because of its failure to act on tips about the Florida school shooter.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe has resulted in 13 indictments against Russians for meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and half of voters think it’s possible this alleged interference cost Hillary Clinton the presidency. But slightly more think the U.S. government also interferes in the elections of other countries.

The indictments handed down to the Russians involved using stolen identities from American citizens to promote mostly pro-Trump political activist campaigns through social media. Interestingly, though, 79% of regular social media users insist that their political opinions are not significantly influenced by postings on social media, including 40% who say they are not influenced at all.

Even though this Congress dodged the shutdown bullet and passed the biggest reform of the tax code in decades, voters continue to give Congress low marks. Just 31% think Congress is even somewhat likely to seriously address the most important problems facing the nation.

Of course, Congress managed to avoid the shutdown only by ballooning the budget with billions in across-the-board new spending. Voters think instead that the government should be looking for across-the-board spending cuts and say politicians’ unwillingness to reduce government spending is more to blame for the size of the federal deficit than taxpayers’ unwillingness to pay more in taxes.

In other surveys last week:

-- Forty percent (40%) of voters now say the country is headed in the right direction.

-- Most Americans have a favorable opinion of the Rev. Billy Graham, the longtime Southern Baptist evangelist and spiritual counselor to several presidents, who died earlier this week.

-- This flu season is already one of the worst on record, and it’s not over yet. One-in-three Americans say the flu has hit their family, even though half have gotten a flu shot.

-- Americans honor both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln on Presidents’ Day which falls annually on or near Washington’s birthday. While Lincoln’s birthday is earlier in the month, most Americans think one holiday is enough for these two iconic presidents.

So, for those that complain that I only post Rasmussen polls, here's one by PoliceOne.com. With the latest school shooting, I read one poster on a comments thread say he or she knows a lot of law enforcement officers and had never heard one say “ 'America is on the wrong track when it comes to guns' except for publicity presentations done at the behest of this or that politician to whom the officer reports.' So I went looking to see if there are any polls of law enforcement on gun ownership and found this one: PoliceOne's 2013 Gun Policy & Law Enforcement Survey Results: Executive Summary. While it's a little old, positions on this issue have become so set I doubt opinions have changed much in the past five years. So, a poll of 15,595 verified police professionals, 76.2% of them still current:

What effect do you think a federal ban on manufacture and sale of some semi-automatic firearms, termed by some as "assault weapons," would have on reducing violent crime?

• Significant 1.6%
• Moderate 6%
• None 71%
• Negative 20.5%
• Unsure 0.9%

Do you think a federal ban on manufacture and sale of ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds would reduce violent crime?

• Yes 2.7%
• No 95.7%
• Unsure 1.6%

Do you think that a federal law prohibiting private, non-dealer transfers of firearms between individuals would reduce violent crime?

• Yes 11.5%
• No 79.7%
• Unsure 8.8%

Do you think increasing the severity of punishments for gun trafficking, particularly by unlicensed dealers or "straw purchasers" who buy arms for persons ineligible to own them, would reduce instances of gun crime?

• Yes 58.8%
• No 28.7%
• Unsure 12.5%

Should citizens be required to complete a safety training class before being allowed to buy a gun?

• Yes, for all weapons 42.3%
• Yes, but only for certain weapons 14.4%
• No 43.3%

Would requiring mental health background checks on prospective buyers in all gun sales from federally-licensed dealers reduce instances of mass shooting incidents?

• Yes 31.3%
• No 44.8%
• Unsure 23.9%

Do you support the concept of a national database tracking all legal gun sales?

• Yes 23%
• No 70%
• Unsure 7.1%

How big a problem do you feel gun crime is in your jurisdiction?

• Significant 16.1%
• Average 44.1%
• Small 39.8%

Do you believe that use of a firearm while perpetrating a crime should result in stiff, mandatory sentences with no plea bargains?

• Yes 91.4%
• No 5.4%
• Unsure 3.2%

What is your opinion of some law enforcement leaders’ public statements that they would not enforce more restrictive gun laws in their jurisdictions?

• Very Favorable 48.8%
• Favorable 22.2%
• Unfavorable 9.6%
• Very Unfavorable 7.2%
• Unsure/Neutral 12.2%

Do you believe gun buyback or turn-in programs can be or have been effective in reducing the level of gun violence?

• Yes 11.2%
• No 81.5%
• Unsure 7.3%

Whether or not you have an active ‘open carry movement’ in your jurisdiction, what is your opinion about the concept and practice?

• I support both concept and practice 31.1%
• It is a valid concept but the practice is misguided 40.8%
• In both concept and practice open carry is a bad idea 18.2%
• Unsure/Neutral 9.8%

Do you support the concealed carry of firearms by civilians who have not been convicted of a felony and/or not been deemed psychologically/medically incapable?

• Yes, without question and without further restrictions 91.3%
• No, only law enforcement officers should carry firearms 4.1%
• Unsure/Neutral 4.5%

On a scale of one to five —one being low and five being high — how important do you think legally-armed citizens are to reducing crime rates overall:

• 1: 4.7%
• 2: 4.9%
• 3: 14%
• 4: 21.7%
• 5: 54.7%

What would help most in preventing large scale shootings in public? Choose the selection you feel would have the most impact:

• Improved background screening to determine mental wellness of gun purchasers 14%
• Longer prison terms for gun-related violent crimes 7.9%
• More aggressive institutionalization for mentally ill persons 19.6%
• More legislative restrictions on “assault weapons” and ammo magazines 0.9%
• Tighter limits on weapons sales and transfers 1.5%
• More armed guards/paid security personnel 15.8%
• More permissive concealed carry policies for civilians 28.8%
• Other (please add) 11.4%

Considering the particulars of recent tragedies like Newtown and Aurora, what level of impact do you think a legally-armed citizen could have made? Choose the statement that you feel is most accurate:

• Innocent casualties would likely have been avoided altogether 6.2%
• Casualties would likely have been reduced 80%
• There would have been no difference in outcome 4.1%
• An active gunfight might have resulted in greater loss of innocent lives 5.5%
• Unsure or prefer not to answer 4.3%

Do you support arming teachers and/or school administrators who volunteer to carry at their school? Choose the statement you most agree with:

• Yes, if they are vetted, trained, and qualified annually 76.6%
• Yes, if they pass a one-time police-level proficiency check 4.7%
• No, only sworn school resource officers should be armed 15.8%
• No, our schools should be considered ‘gun free zones’ 1.5%
• Unsure/No 1.3%

What do you believe is the biggest cause of gun violence in the United States?

• Pop culture influence (eg. violent movies, video games) 13.9%
• Parole, early release, and short sentencing for violent offenders 14.7%
• Guns are too prevalent and easy to obtain 4.4%
• Poor identification and treatment of mentally ill individuals 10.1%
• Decline in parenting and family values 38.1%
• Economic factors/income inequality 1.6%
• Unsure 2.4%
• Other (please specify) 14.8%

[Drlee]

Oh good lord. Police1.com?

Come on guy. Read this question asked of "professionals".

What effect do you think a federal ban on manufacture and sale of some semi-automatic firearms, termed by some as "assault weapons," would have on reducing violent crime

My answer as someone who favors banning these weapons is also, none. Why. Because the idea is not to fucking "reduce violent crime". It is to stop the rare crazies who do mass killings. Wrong question.

[Doug64]

Oh good lord. Police1.com?

Come on guy. Read this question asked of "professionals".

In this case, 11,883 current law enforcement, and 3,712 former or retired law enforcement. Their ranks were:

• Officer 30.5%
• Sergeant 20.4%
• Lieutenant 9%
• Deputy 7.8%
• Chief 4.8%
• Asst. Chief 1.6%
• Captain 3.8%
• Commander 1.2%
• Sheriff 0.7%
• Detective 9.8%
• Other 10.5%

My answer as someone who favors banning these weapons is also, none. Why. Because the idea is not to fucking "reduce violent crime". It is to stop the rare crazies who do mass killings. Wrong question.

You didn't get far enough down the list of questions. There was this one: What would help most in preventing large scale shootings in public? The plurality chose "More permissive concealed carry policies for civilians" (28.8%) and second place was "More aggressive institutionalization for mentally ill persons" (19.6%). The response that got the least support was "More legislative restrictions on 'assault weapons' and ammo magazines" (0.9%) and second lowest was "Tighter limits on weapons sales and transfers" (1.5%). Then there was this question: Considering the particulars of recent tragedies like Newtown and Aurora, what level of impact do you think a legally-armed citizen could have made? Runaway answer, "Casualties would likely have been reduced" (80%).

[Victoribus Spolia]

[Doug64]

With all the shouting about gun control and people accusing the NRA (and everyone that agrees with the NRA's support of the 2nd Amendment) of being child killers, here's a few questions on school safety and where blame belongs:

A proposal has been made to give bonuses to teachers who are specially trained to have guns in schools to protect themselves and others. Do you favor or oppose a proposal to have trained teachers with guns in the schools?

• Favor 43%
• Oppose 48%
• Not sure 8%

Republicans

• Favor 71%
• Oppose 23%
• Not sure 6%

Independents

• Favor 41%
• Oppose 49%
• Not sure 10%

Democrats

• Favor 24%
• Oppose 67%
• Not sure 8%

Would you feel safer if your child attended a school where no adults were allowed to own a gun or a school with an armed security guard?

• Where no adults were allowed to own a gun 23%
• With an armed security guard 66%
• Not sure 11%

Republicans

• Where no adults were allowed to own a gun 9%
• With an armed security guard 86%
• Not sure 5%

Independents

• Where no adults were allowed to own a gun 25%
• With an armed security guard 62%
• Not sure 13%

Democrats

• Where no adults were allowed to own a gun 33%
• With an armed security guard 55%
• Not sure 13%

Which is more to blame for the mass shooting at the Florida high school – the failure of government agencies to respond to numerous warning signs from the prospective killer or the lack of adequate gun control?

• The failure of government agencies to respond to numerous warning signs 54%
• The lack of adequate gun control 33%
• Something else 11%
• Not sure 2%

Republicans

• The failure of government agencies to respond to numerous warning signs 75%
• The lack of adequate gun control 15%
• Something else 9%
• Not sure 1%

Independents

• The failure of government agencies to respond to numerous warning signs 55%
• The lack of adequate gun control 30%
• Something else 12%
• Not sure 2%

Democrats

• The failure of government agencies to respond to numerous warning signs 36%
• The lack of adequate gun control 50%
• Something else 10%
• Not sure 3%

And just for fun, here's Trump's support if we were holding the 2020 election now:

If the election were held today, are you more likely to vote for President Trump or the Democratic nominee who opposes him?

• President Trump 44%
• The Democratic nominee who opposes him 47%
• Not sure 9%

Republicans

• President Trump 73%
• The Democratic nominee who opposes him 20%
• Not sure 7%

Independents

• President Trump 45%
• The Democratic nominee who opposes him 38%
• Not sure 17%

Democrats

• President Trump 15%
• The Democratic nominee who opposes him 81%
• Not sure 4%

There was also a question on which Democrat would have the best chance of beating him, but it's way too early for that.

[Doug64]

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

It was just another week in Trumpsylvania, with politics as usual coloring voters’ reactions.

If the 2020 election were held today, President Trump would carry Republicans and unaffiliated voters, but Democrats would reject him in droves. Joe Biden remains the early favorite in a crowded Democratic field to challenge the president’s reelection.

Love him or hate him, voters on both sides of the political aisle agree Trump is charting the course for the country, and no one else is even close.

With his daily job approval ratings continuing to run better than Barack Obama’s at this stage of his presidency, Trump has imposed extensive new economic sanctions on North Korea to discourage that country's development of nuclear weapons.

Republicans approve of the way the president is handling North Korea; Democrats don’t. Fears of a North Korean attack have been lessening here, however.

Trump is also initiating tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to protect U.S. manufacturers. Voters by a two-to-one margin favor tariffs on goods from countries that pay very low wages to their workers.

The president has threatened to pull border control enforcement agencies out of California because of the state’s refusal to enforce most illegal immigration laws, and only 45% of voters oppose the idea.

Following last month’s school massacre in Florida, Trump has proposed giving bonuses to teachers who are specially trained to have guns in schools, and most Americans with school-aged children favor his proposal.

Most Americans in general think the man who killed 17 last month at a Florida high school should get the death penalty if convicted.

A majority also believes that the failure of government agencies to respond to numerous warning signs from the prospective killer is more to blame for the mass shooting than a lack of adequate gun control.

Most continue to feel, too, that violent video games and movies make America a more hostile place.

But just 13% say limits on violent movies and video games would do the most to reduce incidents like the one in Florida. Forty-one percent (41%) believe stricter gun control laws would do the most to reduce the number of mass murders, while just as many (40%) say more action to treat mental health issues would make the biggest difference.

Americans aren’t convinced, however, that stricter gun laws will reduce crime and don’t trust the government to enforce those laws.

Amid renewed calls for stricter gun control, most who have guns at home say it makes them feel safer.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters still hold a favorable opinion of the National Rifle Association (NRA), although that’s down from 54% two years ago.

The Department of Justice’s inspector general is reportedly set to release a report charging former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe with leaking to the media and misleading investigators who were probing his actions. Voters think a special prosecutor is needed to see if the FBI has been playing politics.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday in a case that could have huge ramifications for unions. Most voters don’t think non-union members should have to pay dues which is the main argument in the Janus v. AFSCME case.

Just 32% think most organized labor leaders do a good job representing union members.

In other surveys last week:

— Thirty-seven percent (37%) of voters feel the country is headed in the right direction.

— Americans are slightly further ahead in the income tax-filing process than they were at this time a year ago.

— While police officers continue to fall in the line of duty around the country, fewer voters now think there is a war on police. Still, several states are considering a law that would make an attack on law enforcement officers a hate crime, and most voters continue to support a “Blue Lives Matter” law where they live.

[Doug64]

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

The job market is breaking records; economic confidence is flying high; North Korea’s asking for peace talks – and President Trump’s job approval ratings appear to be heading downward. Go figure.

The government jobs report for last month far exceeded expectations, with a record number of Americans employed. Black and Hispanic unemployment are at historic lows. We’ll be asking Americans next week what they expect from the job market over the next year.

Even after what financial analysts are calling a much-needed correction in the stock market, the Rasmussen Reports Economic Index remains in record territory, nearly 20 points higher than it was in President Obama’s best month. Americans’ confidence in their own personal finances is still at all-time highs.

Forty percent (40%) of voters say the country is headed in the right direction. This finding ran in the 20s for most of Obama’s second term.

Seventy-eight percent (78%) of Americans now rate their quality of life as good or excellent.

The president’s monthly job approval jumped up four points in February. But his daily job approval ratings were trending down at week’s end. Is the good will he appears to have generated with his conciliatory State of the Union speech at the end of January going away?

Of course, remember, too, that over a year after Obama left office, a sizable number of voters - including most Democrats - remain convinced that he, not Trump, is responsible for the continuing economic boom.

The Republican establishment also continues its love/hate relationship with Trump, unhappy now with his decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. Americans, however, by a two-to-one margin think tariffs are a good way to go. We’ll be surveying more on this issue next week.

Ohio Governor John Kasich, one of Trump’s unsuccessful GOP challengers in 2016, is joining with Arnold Schwarzenegger to champion a more centrist Republican Party, and Democrats think that’s a great idea. Republicans are sticking with the president, though.

While the Rasmussen Reports Generic Congressional Ballot finds that voters still favor the Democrats, more voters are pulling for the Republicans, and the gap is narrowing with the midterm elections still months away.

Following his announcement of tough new economic sanctions on North Korea, Trump appears to have forced North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the negotiating table. Even prior to Thursday's announcement of the upcoming meeting, voters here are less fearful of a North Korean nuclear attack.

Seventy-one percent (71%) of Republicans give the president positive marks for his handling of North Korea, compared to just 23% of Democrats and 41% of voters not affiliated with either major party.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced that Russia has developed a nuclear weapon capable of beating U.S. and NATO missile defenses. Voters here aren’t particularly worried about a Russian nuclear attack, but they are more concerned these days about souring U.S.-Russia relations.

On the home front, voters aren’t enthusiastic about living in a so-called sanctuary state and tend to favor the U.S. Department of Justice’s decision to sue California for protecting illegal immigrants from federal authorities.

The president had previously threatened to pull border control enforcement agencies out of California. Just 45% oppose that idea.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf recently warned illegal immigrants in her city of a pending crackdown by federal immigration authorities, and federal officials now say that a number of violent criminal aliens escaped capture and deportation as a result. The U.S. Justice Department is considering legal action against Schaaf, and voters tend to support that move, too.

Only 23% think that, generally speaking, states and localities should have the right to ignore federal laws that they don’t agree with. We’ll be updating this finding early next week.

Americans strongly favor raising the legal age for buying a gun to 21 but are much less supportive of a similar increase in the voting and military enlistment ages.

In other surveys last week:

-- Maine and Vermont are currently the only two states where a convicted felon can vote while he or she is still in prison, but with a new bill introduced in February, New Jersey may soon join that list. Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters don't want imprisoned felons voting in their state.

-- A tightening U.S. job market and looser marijuana laws in some states reportedly are leading to a decline in pre-employment drug tests, but most Americans still believe drug testing should be required of applicants for all or most jobs.

-- But Americans continue to feel that alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana.

[Doug64]

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Churn in the Trump administration continued apace this week highlighted by a Cabinet-level shift in which President Trump moved CIA Director Mike Pompeo to the State Department as a replacement for ousted Secretary Rex Tillerson, with Deputy Director Gina Haspel replacing Pompeo at CIA.

Republican voters tend to like Trump’s choice of Pompeo to head the State Department, but don’t regard him as highly as they did Tillerson in November. Still, one-in-three voters need more time to get to know Pompeo before casting an opinion.

Following President Trump’s firing of Tillerson, voters remain strongly convinced that a president’s Cabinet plays a critical role in governance, but most also agree that Trump doesn’t use his Cabinet like his predecessors did.

The Cabinet shift tightens Trump’s foreign policy position as he prepares to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un — the first time a U.S. president will have met with the leader of the rogue communist regime. But voters here are skeptical that the meeting will lessen the threat posed by North Korea.

Domestically, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced last week that 313,000 jobs were created in February and the unemployment rate remained at a 17-year low. While President Trump’s new tariffs on steel and aluminium imports have some wondering what effect they’ll have on the job market, Americans are more confident than ever that things will only get better.

Most Republicans support the new tariffs, while the majority of Democrats are opposed. But only 37% of all Americans think most of their fellow countrymen know what a tariff is.

Many in the business world worry that the tariffs could hurt the United States’ manufacturing base by driving up costs for businesses and consumers. Yet, two-out-of-three (68%) of Americans think it is more important to keep manufacturing jobs in the United States than it is to keep prices low for American consumers.

Still, most Americans fear that President Trump's metals tariffs could trigger a trade war and think it's better for the federal government to mind its own business.

Meanwhile, the battle over illegal immigration continues to heat up in California, where the U.S. Department of Justice is suing the state over its actions to shield illegal immigrants from federal immigration laws. Most voters continue to agree that states shouldn't be able to pick and choose when it comes to which federal laws they follow.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters constantly calls for President Trump’s impeachment and even suggests she may challenge him in 2020. But few voters think favorably of the California Democrat, and they look even less favorably on her support for slavery reparations for black Americans.

In other surveys last week:

-- Students across the country staged a national walkout to protest gun violence and honor the 17 victims of the Florida high school shooting last month. Here’s a wrap-up of our related surveying since that horrific incident.

-- An Obama-era policy allowing for more leniency in schools has been strongly criticized following the massacre last month at a Florida high school. Most Americans think discipline in public schools is too easy these days.

-- In today’s 24/7 news cycle, most Americans still think the media is obsessed with getting the story first, when they think they should be focused on getting it right.

-- Thirty-seven percent (37%) of Likely U.S. Voters now think the country is heading in the right direction.

[Drlee]

Today a WSJ poll had the democrats up 10+ points in the mid terms.

-- An Obama-era policy allowing for more leniency in schools has been strongly criticized following the massacre last month at a Florida high school. Most Americans think discipline in public schools is too easy these days.

This is a huge load of shit. Tell me what this supposed policy is. Rasmussen is overtly partisan but this is stupid even for them.

[Doug64]

This is a huge load of shit. Tell me what this supposed policy is. Rasmussen is overtly partisan but this is stupid even for them.

You could answer your own question with a simple internet search: Behind Cruz's Florida Rampage, Obama's School-Leniency Policy

[Drlee]

You could answer your own question with a simple internet search: Behind Cruz's Florida Rampage, Obama's School-Leniency Policy

You would not have posted that trash if you had read the links. Come on man. You are not stupid. Read the policy ideas. Then, once you understand that Obama had nothing to do with this you will avoid making yourself look like a partisan hack.

READ THE FUCKING LINKS!

[Doug64]

You would not have posted that trash if you had read the links. Come on man. You are not stupid. Read the policy ideas. Then, once you understand that Obama had nothing to do with this you will avoid making yourself look like a partisan hack.

READ THE FUCKING LINKS!

An excerpt from the article:

In 2013, the year before Cruz entered high school, the Broward County school system rewrote its discipline policy to make it much more difficult for administrators to suspend or expel problem students, or for campus police to arrest them for misdemeanors– including some of the crimes Cruz allegedly committed in the years and months leading up to the deadly Feb. 14 shooting at his Fort Lauderdale-area school.

The new policy resulted from an Obama administration effort begun in 2011 to keep students in school and improve racial outcomes (timeline here), and came against a backdrop of other efforts to rein in perceived excesses in "zero tolerance" discipline policies, including in Florida.

Broward school Superintendent Robert W. Runcie – a Chicagoan and Harvard graduate with close ties to President Obama and his Education Department – signed an agreement with the county sheriff and other local jurisdictions to trade cops for counseling. Students charged with various misdemeanors, including assault, would now be disciplined through participation in “healing circles,” obstacle courses and other “self-esteem building” exercises.

Asserting that minority students, in particular, were treated unfairly by traditional approaches to school discipline, Runcie’s goal was to slash arrests and ensure that students, no matter how delinquent, graduated without criminal records.

The achievement gap "becomes intensified in the school-to-prison pipeline, where black males are disproportionately represented,” he said at the time. “We’re not going to continue to arrest our kids,” he added. “Once you have an arrest record, it becomes difficult to get scholarships, get a job, or go into the military."

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel backed Runcie’s plan to diminish the authority of police in responding to campus crime. A November 2013 video shows him signing the district’s 16-page "collaborative agreement on school discipline,” which lists more than a dozen misdemeanors that can no longer be reported to police, along with five steps police must “exhaust” before even considering placing a student under arrest.

In just a few years, ethnically diverse Broward went from leading the state of Florida in student arrests to boasting one of its lowest school-related incarceration rates. Out-of-school suspensions and expulsions also plummeted.

Runcie had been working closely with Obama Education Secretary Arne Duncan on the reforms ever since landing the Broward job in 2011, using as a reference the name of the Cabinet secretary, his former boss in the Chicago school system.

Applications for federal grants reveal that Runcie’s plan factored into approval of tens of millions of dollars in federal funding from Duncan's department.

[Drlee]

Great. Your right mouse button works.

Now read the links.

But just for fun let's just look at what this actually says.

It says that all of the decisions on action to take were local. Even the sheriff backed the plan.

And it worked. Very well. It is preposterous to blame this one individual on a school discipline plan. A plan that resulted in fewer disciplinary issue it would appear.

But you can't have it both ways sport. If you want to be a conservative then be one. Do not blame the federal government all the while you are taking their money. These were local decisions made by local politicians. They were more than welcome to have the policies that they believed worked. The school board and LOCAL law enforcement were still in charge.

But they took millions of dollars in federal funds and then when they have a problem and their voters are pointing at them personally, they pull the old standby of "let's blame Obama".

When my kind of conservative was the definition of conservative, we advocated states rights, local control of the schools and personal responsibility. We advocated for the elimination of the Department of Education altogether and applauded when local school districts and civil governments took responsibility for what they did.

[Doug64]

Great. Your right mouse button works.

Now read the links.

If you think some of the links have something significant to say that contradict the main article, post and quote them.

[Doug64]

Here's last weekend's round-up of polls. Anyone that wants to check out any possible links over the next week can go to the link to the left. (Anyone wanting more details on a particular poll, just ask):

Consciously or not, President Trump’s sights fixed on East Asia this week as he tapped Ambassador John Bolton, a hawk on dealings with North Korea and Iran, to replace outgoing National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster.

Trump on Monday announced that his administration will impose stiffer penalties, including seeking the death penalty for drug traffickers, to combat the opioid crisis fueled in part by fentanyl from China. Although Americans continue to say opioids are a problem where they live, nearly half don’t like the idea of imposing capital punishment for drug traffickers.

Combating the opioid epidemic was a Trump campaign promise, and while voters don’t have much faith when it comes to political campaign promises, a sizable number think this president is more likely to deliver on them than most.

Trump recently promoted Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo to secretary of state following Rex Tillerson’s departure, leaving behind an agency most voters are impressed with.

But it’s tax season, so how are Americans feeling about the Internal Revenue Service these days?

Americans have been ahead of the game on income taxes this year, and now, with just over three weeks to go until Tax Day, more than half are done.

While questions are being increasingly raised about when Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation will end and its direction and fairness, voters think Trump should leave him alone.

Meanwhile, members of the Congressional Black Caucus and a leader of the Women’s March are catching heat after information surfaced that they met with or appeared at events with Louis Farrakhan, a notorious anti-Semite. While a majority of voters don’t like the leader of the Nation of Islam, black voters see him in a more favorable light.

When it comes to immigration, voters want to take care of those brought here as children first, then focus on building a wall.

In other surveys last week:

-- Just over half of regular Facebook users are considering bailing out of the popular social media site over concerns about the privacy of their personal data.

-- Americans continue to see the importance of being a teacher, even if they don’t think many want to enter the education field these days.

-- Although harsh winter nor’easters continued to threaten much of the eastern United States this week, the first day of spring arrived, and that puts a spring in the steps of most Americans.

-- Forty-one percent (41%) of voters now think the country is heading in the right direction.

[colliric]

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... rack_apr02

President Trump has pulled ahead of Obama in the daily presidential poll at the same point in his Presidential run. 50% of Americans now approve of their President.

On track for a victory in 2020....

[One Degree]

Wow, as a second amendment supporter, I am still amazed at the gun survey responses. Democrats appear to be digging their own graves. Even allowing for massive error, this is a decided issue in American minds.

[Doug64]

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/political_updates/prez_track_apr02

President Trump has pulled ahead of Obama in the daily presidential poll at the same point in his Presidential run. 50% of Americans now approve of their President.

On track for a victory in 2020....

You don't want to get too excited by particular days. Over the month of March, Trump has a very slight edge on Obama: 46.5% Approval / 52.2% Disapproval for Trump, 46% Approval / 53.3% Disapproval for Obama.

Wow, as a second amendment supporter, I am still amazed at the gun survey responses. Democrats appear to be digging their own graves. Even allowing for massive error, this is a decided issue in American minds.

Yeah, it hasn't changed much in awhile:

Does the U.S. Constitution guarantee the right of an average citizen to own a gun?

• Yes 72%
• No 18%
• Not sure 10%

Republicans

• Yes 82%
• No 12%
• Not sure 6%

Independents

• Yes 74%
• No 15%
• Not sure 11%

Democrats

• Yes 63%
• No 26%
• Not sure 11%

The numbers for this question haven't changed much in nine years, in 2009 the result was:

• Yes 75%
• No 14%
• Not sure 11%

Do you favor or oppose repealing the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment which currently guarantees the right of most citizens to own a gun?

• Favor 29%
• Oppose 56%
• Not sure 15%

Republicans

• Favor 23%
• Oppose 69%
• Not sure 8%

Independents

• Favor 22%
• Oppose 59%
• Not sure 19%

Democrats

• Favor 42%
• Oppose 42%
• Not sure 16%