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All Rasmussen Reports' survey questions are digitally recorded and fed to a calling program that determines question order, branching options, and other factors. Calls are placed to randomly-selected phone numbers through a process that insures appropriate geographic representation. Typically, calls are placed from 5 pm to 9 pm local time during the week. Saturday calls are made from 11 am to 6 pm local time and Sunday calls from 1 pm to 9 pm local time.
After the calls are completed, the raw data is processed through a weighting program to insure that the sample reflects the overall population in terms of age, race, gender, political party, and other factors. The processing step is required because different segments of the population answer the phone in different ways. For example, women answer the phone more than men, older people are home more and answer more than younger people, and rural residents typically answer the phone more frequently than urban residents.
Who runs the country? Aren't you always claiming it's not Bush's fault when there is an economic downturn? You can't have it both ways.
Difference is that the enormous bloc of the Democratic party in Michigan are the people that are killing the state. Even if the MI Dems did have good ideas, they couldn't implement them because they're beholden to the unions. Further, to add insult to injury, Granholm went and raised taxes recently... during a recession.
Sure they didn't. I'll try to reconcile that with the reality of living there most of my life.
Bad schools: unions.
Bad auto industry: unions.
Bad business environment: about a year after Dems took office in my experience.
After living there most of my life I'd say the Auto industries problem was then, what it is today - extremely opposed to embracing a product that the consumer demands. This has single-handedly led to the institution of the two largest and most successful Auto Manufacturers in the World - Honda & Toyota.
Michigan led the Nation in great schools for many years and part of the reason was the success of the Teachers union and it's ability to represent the needs of it's members. They had better medical, equitable contracts, and fair retirement for it's members as well as excellent teacher retention compared to much of the Nation. Michigan also was one of the few places in the US where IF you received a teaching degree from one of it's Universities you could retroactively teach in most of the US.
The business environment was in trouble at least fifteen years ago, and possibly quite a bit longer when you consider the stubbornness of the Big Three and it's impact on the tax base. Study Flint.
After living there most of my life I'd say the Auto industries problem was then, what it is today - extremely opposed to embracing a product that the consumer demands. This has single-handedly led to the institution of the two largest and most successful Auto Manufacturers in the World - Honda & Toyota.
Amen! Detroit ignored the changing world, that's why they got into trouble. Detroit was still focused on trucks and Hummers long after the pendulum had swung to fuel-efficient cars.
And American cars are just not as well made. I'm sorry--I bought into the Buy American campaign several years ago. Nearly died in a car accident because my American car was a piece of cr*p. I drive Toyotas now.
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