Desire for less influence of organized religion up almost 50% during the Bush years, from 22% to 32%. Desire for more influence down from 30% to 27%. Hallelujah!
An encouraging little poll result:
Just before the first inauguration of the second Bush, although a plurality (45%) thought that “organized religion” has about the right amount of influence over public life, those who wanted it to have more influence (30%) outnumbered those who wanted it to have less influence (22%).
But the rule of the Mayberry Machiavellis and their Congressional and clerical allies has reinvigorated the secularist vote. Now 32% want “less influence,” and only 27% want “more influence.”
That’s an increase of almost 50% in anti-clerical sentiment in six years.
Thank God!
Author: Mark Kleiman
Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out.
Books:
Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken)
When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist
Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993)
Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989)
UCLA Homepage
Curriculum Vitae
Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com
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