Heritage members: Control the borders, fight terrorism
September 6, 2006| By Nathaniel Ward
In August, The Heritage Foundation polled its members to find out where they stand on the critical issues facing our nation as the November elections approach.
Our members said they favor fighting to win in Iraq and using new tools to combat terrorist activities here at home. They also opposed outright amnesty for illegal immigrants and backed firm sanctions against employers who hire illegal aliens—and they gave their support to a program to allow foreign workers to securely enter the country once the borders are secured.
The Heritage Foundation will use the results of this survey to help make the case for strong conservative reform on Capitol Hill, at the White House and in the media.
Survey results
Terrorism
1. Did we do the right thing in overthrowing Saddam Hussein?
89.5% Yes
5.0 No
5.5 Undecided
2. Should we stay in Iraq until the country is stabilized and firmly on our side in the war against terrorism, or should we quit a failing effort?
85.9% Stay
5.0 Quit
9.1 Undecided
3. Should we fight terrorism until our victory is clear, or are we bringing more danger on ourselves by our fight?
90.3% Fight to the end
4.1 Bringing more danger
5.6 Undecided
4. What do you think should be done about The New York Times and other media which have revealed classified programs the government was using to fight the war on terror?
33.8% Punish the newspapers
62.8 Find who leaked the information and punish them
3.4 Nothing
Homeland security
1. Is the Patriot Act:
6.5% A danger to our civil liberties
88.5 A necessary update of our policies to enable us to prevent terrorism in the U.S.
43.0 A law that is being used by the Left to demonize the Bush administration
3.0 Other
2. Is there a real threat of terrorism within the United States?
94.4% Yes
2.0 No
3.6 Undecided
3. Are we doing enough to protect ourselves against terrorism in this country?
13.3% Yes
61.7 No
25.0 Undecided
Immigration
1. Do you support instituting a guest worker program?
6.8% Yes, now
65.3 Yes, after the borders are secured
23.2 No, never
4.7 Undecided
2. What should we do about the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the U.S.?
25.5% Give them a path to citizenship
24.2 Deport as many as possible
45.0 Give them incentives to leave by making it difficult for employers to hire them
5.3 Other
3. How should we control future illegal immigration? (Respondents could select more than one option.)
59.0% Build a fence along the Mexican border
67.0 Create a national identity card so everyone who enters the U.S. can be tracked
78.5 Put more manpower on the borders
86.5 Enact tough employer sanctions to effectively prevent hiring illegal aliens
0.5 We don’t need to control illegal immigration
11.5 Other
Energy policy
1. Which of these measures would be effective in providing us with sufficient energy in coming years? (Respondents could select more than one option.)
84.0% Allow drilling for oil in a small portion of Alaska’s ANWR area
85.0 Ease federal restrictions on offshore drilling for oil and other natural gas
81.5 Ease regulations for constructing new oil refineries
66.5 Build new nuclear power plants
23.5 Enforce conservation measures through new regulations
30.0 Increase CAFE mileage standards on cars
32.0 Build more windmills
44.0 Subsidize alternative energy sources like solar power
50.0 Subsidize research on alternative fuel vehicles
Governance
1. Who should make the major decisions about the laws and rules that govern us?
99.0% The American people, through our constitutional system
1.0 The federal courts
0.0 International institutions such as the UN and the World Court
0.0 Other
Taxes
1. What do you think about the Bush tax cuts? (Respondents could select more than one option.)
9.0% They are a sop to the rich
82.0 They have increased economic growth
5.5 They have been harmful to the economy
75.5 They are a needed tax reduction for American families
47.5 We need further tax cuts
82.5 The death tax should be permanently ended
Social Security
1. What should be done to keep the Social Security system from going broke? (Respondents could select more than one option.)
11.5% Raise the Social Security tax
41.0 Raise the retirement age
71.5 Give younger workers the option of private Social Security accounts
9.0 Do nothing; Social Security is not in danger of going broke
26.0 Other
The Courts
1. Do you think controversial social questions like same-sex marriage and abortion should be decided by legislatures elected by the people rather than by courts?
88.1% Yes
4.6 No
7.2 Undecided
2. Do you think federal courts have taken on too much power in recent years?
91.4% Yes
1.5 No
7.0 Undecided
3. Do you think Presidents should be able to appoint the judges they want without ideological litmus tests, as long as the nominees are qualified?
82.7% Yes
4.6 No
12.7 Undecided
Values and the family
1. Do you think public policy should promote marriage and discourage illegitimate births?
95.9% Yes
1.0 No
3.1 Undecided
2. Do you favor a constitutional amendment to protect marriage between a man and a woman?
79.7% Yes
8.6 No
11.7 Undecided
3. Do you think children would get a better education if their parents could choose which school they attend?
81.3% Yes
7.6 No
11.1 Undecided
4. Do you think private organizations such as the Boy Scouts should have the right to adhere to traditional values?
98.5% Yes
0.0 No
1.5 Undecided
5. Do you think parents should have the right to raise their children with minimal interference from government?
96.9% Yes
1.0 No
2.1 Undecided
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.
