WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Do we agree on anything political?

According to most news reports, the political divide in our country has never been deeper. Viewers of PBS’s recent series on the Roosevelts already know that isn’t true, but just try to find much in the mainstream press discussing anything besides our differences.

 And to be sure, Democrats and Republicans disagree on many issues and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. But we must agree on some things, right?

Well, yes. Just look at our legislature where a huge percentage of bills are passed nearly unanimously every session.

And on many major issues, sizable majorities across the country are in agreement, according to a recently released survey by the Public Religion Research Institute.

According to their findings…

  • Approximately two-thirds (66%) of Americans agree that the government should do more to reduce the gap between the rich and poor, while roughly one-third (32%) disagree.
  • Roughly 6-in-10 (57%) Americans favor increasing the tax rate on Americans earning more than $250,000 per year, while 37% are opposed.
  • About 7-in-10 (69%) Americans favor increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per hour.
  • Approximately 8-in-10 (78%) Americans favor requiring companies to provide all full-time employees with paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
  • Approximately 8-in-10 (81%) Americans favor requiring companies to provide all full-time employees with paid sick days if they or an immediate family member gets sick.

It appears when we forget our partisan affiliations, and look at our politics issue by issue, there is more agreement and consensus in our nation than we otherwise may have thought.