During the past two weeks our hypothetical Chief Executives (you) had to make a decision concerning the nation's widening income gap. The options presented to the President by his or her aides were the following:

Option A: Stand Firm -- Don't do anything to endanger the fundamentals of our current prosperity. These are: free-trade agreements, a low-inflation climate for investors (domestic and foreign alike), a budget under control, low-interest rates, and stable economic growth. Upon these fundamentals rests the future of the American Dream.

Option B: Follow the Trickle-Down Path -- The middle class is hurting because growth is too slow. Free the free-enterprise system, unshackle from burdensome federal regulation the energies of American enterprise, and talk of a middle-class crisis will rapidly dissipate.

Option C: Fight for an Economic Overhaul -- Even though the economy as a whole has improved recently, the income gap is continuing to worsen; it is now the widest it has been since the Second World War. This is not a problem that you can leave alone, hoping it will suddenly disappear with the changing economy or through minor tax cuts. The problem can only be solved by giving workers a voice and by making sure that everyone pays their fair share.

The Results

Option A: 9%
Option B: 24%
Option C: 67%

Respondents who chose Option A felt that the income gap and the "crisis" of the middle class are not that bad; we're doing what we have to to compete in a global market place. "Standing firm" with current economic policy is our only viable choice -- prosperity will come to those willing to work hard for it.

Those who supported Option B generally felt that tax cuts do indeed stimulate economic growth, and that only by giving breaks to the private sector can the private sector flourish and bring increased wealth to all. Benefits of encouraging our unique form of capitalism will, as the theory says, trickle down to the middle class and the poor.

Those responding to Option C argued that trickle-down economics did not work in the 1980s and do not work in general. They tended to support tax increases, often levied predominantly on the rich, that specifically would be designed to give American workers additional access to education, job-training, and health-care. Some agreed that only by restructuring our economic strategy to empower workers can the income gap be narrowed.

Party Lines

Option	Democrats	Republicans	Independents	Other	Unregistered
Option A	2%	1%	4%	2%	0%
Option B	0%	14%	6%	3%	1%
Option C	43%	3%	13%	1%	2%

The Significance of the Issue

Issue	Most Significant	Very Important	Fairly Important	Not Very Important	Completely Irrelevant
Income Gap	23%	53%	17%	6%	0%
Cuba	0%	5%	28%	63%	3%
Welfare	5%	53%	36%	5%	1%
Balancing the Budget	17%	49%	21%	9%	3%
Tobacco Regulation	0%	10%	28%	43%	15%
Trade Policy	6%	35%	45%	13%	0%
Campaign-Finance Reform	9%	41%	27%	20%	4%
Health-Care Reform	4%	39%	41%	13%	2%
Entitlement Reform	12%	56%	27%	4%	2%
Immigration Reform	2%	32%	50%	15%	1%

Age

Age Range	Option A	Option B	Option C
Under 18	1%	0%	1%
18-34	4%	8%	21%
35-44	3%	6%	13%
45-54	0%	6%	13%
Over 55	1%	3%	15%

Gender

Gender	Option A	Option B	Option C
Female	1%	4%	17%
Male	8%	20%	48%

Gender and Significance

Significance	Female	Male
Completely Irrelevant	0%	0%
Not Very Important	0%	6%
Fairly Important	3%	15%
Very Important	12%	40%
THE Most Important	8%	15%

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