I used an AI tool and asked what Americans are most concerned about. And then I thought about what the current administration is doing to address the major concerns.
I have indicated each action with 😡 for nothing being done 😱 making things worse and 🙄 for addressed but highly questionable.
Conversation with Gemini
What are Americans most worried about
Based on recent surveys and polls, here’s a breakdown of what Americans are most worried about:
Top Worries:
- Economy: Economic issues consistently rank high. This includes concerns about:
- Inflation: The increasing cost of living remains a major worry for a significant portion of Americans. 😱 worse
- Healthcare Costs: The affordability and availability of healthcare are a persistent concern. 😡 nothing being done
- Federal Budget Deficit and Spending: Many Americans are worried about the national debt and government spending. 😱 😡 definitely worse
- Social Security: The future of the Social Security system is a growing concern, with worry reaching a 15-year high in some polls. 😱 😡 ignored and worse
- Not Having Enough Money for the Future/Retirement: Financial security is a significant fear for many. 😡 worse with greater risk
- Government and Politics:
- Corrupt Government Officials: This has been a consistently top fear for many years, reflecting a deep mistrust in government. 😱 misinformation and lies
- Political Instability/Civil Unrest: Concerns about widespread unrest and the outcome of elections are present. 😱 just wait
- Partisan Cooperation: The inability of Democrats and Republicans to work together is seen as a major problem. 😡 instigated
- Safety and Security:
- Cyberterrorism: Fears of cyberattacks are increasing. 🙄
- Terrorist Attacks: The possibility of future terrorist attacks remains a concern. 🙄
- U.S. Involvement in Another World War: Global conflicts contribute to this fear. 😱
- Crime and Violence: While perceptions might not always align with statistics, concerns about various crimes, including gun violence, remain. ❓more a red herring
- Other Concerns:
- Immigration: This issue often ranks high in public concern, with significant partisan divides in opinions. 🙄 a wall?
- Climate Change and the Environment: Pollution of drinking water, climate change, and the extinction of species are worries for many, with Democrats generally expressing more concern than Republicans. 😱 pulling regulations
- Drug Addiction: While concern has declined somewhat in recent years, it is still considered a significant national problem by a considerable portion of Americans. 🙄
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
Thanks for the AI generated list of concerns.
However, I would want to know a prioritization, and, I would want to know the prioritization by political position (D, R, I).
Myself, looking at your list, I suspect these are the top concerns for the majority of Americans, regardless of political persuasion:
Economy: Inflation – where Biden, fairly or unfairly, gets a negative rating because of his spending spree (after COVID), I was in my late 20’s/early 30’s when Reagan/Volcker wrung inflation out using the 1981 – 1982 deep, deep recession (where most everyone I worked with in September 1982 was laid off and lost their job). I’m concerned the idiot in charge today wants to lower (not raise) interest rates – perhaps because such an increase would escalate the national debt, and choke off his plans to extend the TCJA tax cuts.
Health care costs / Budget Deficits, National Debt – Where the “vote buying” solutions implemented by Obama and Biden have added tens of trillions to our annual deficits and national debts – there is a reason why we have added $26+ Trillion to our national debt since President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 into law on March 23, 2010, and since President Biden expanded the taxpayer subsidies – shifting those costs (plus the tens of trillions of interest that will accumulate on those debts) to generations too young to vote and generations yet unborn .If you like, go back six years to December 2003, you can add President George W. Bush who used Medicare Part D as a means of securing his reelection – again, without any specific increased revenue or “pay for”.
Medicare & Social Security – The trust funding/sustainability challenge is a concern for a majority of Americans, but the concerns vary dramatically – those over age 50 are worried about their benefits, but everyone else is worried about having to pay for them, and how politicians will fund the burden in ways they believe will buy them more votes (or lose fewer votes).
Everything else:
As best as I can tell, all of those other worries are not shared evenly among folks of different political persuasions – for example, D’s would say Trump is corrupt, R’s would say D’s like Biden also ignore Supreme Court decisions (student loans, etc.). It is obvious. Consider Harry Reid, who intentionally lied about Mitt Romney and later not only admitted that but celebrated it: “… “So the word is out that he has not paid any taxes for ten years,” Reid said on the Senate floor in August 2012. “Let him prove that he has paid taxes, because he hasn’t.” … When asked about his comments in a (2015) interview by CNN’s Dana Bash, Reid, rebuffed those who said his attacks were “McCarthyite.” “Well, they can call it whatever they want,” Reid said. “Romney didn’t win, did he?” D’s would point to the current Harvard and law firm stupidity, while R’s would point to burying Biden’s infirmity, the Hunter laptop, and Biden Administration influence / demands regarding social and main stream media.
Same with Climate Change, Cyberterrorism, Political Instability. For Civil Unrest, it is crazy, but some are actually encouraging violence today (Tesla, etc.), as they did in 2020 (Floyd, mostly peaceful protests), and earlier (Brown, the hands up don’t shoot lies), but then there is the 1/6 crap. We also have concerns about Crime, Violence, Immigration, Drug Addiction, etc.
But, that is the nature of America and Americans. Unless you put a common enemy in front of us, and demonize them whenever possible, the British (Revolutionary), the Spanish (Spanish American War), the Huns (WWI), the “Japs”/Nazi’s (WWII), Al-Qaeda (9/11), we are going to disagree. Why were Americans of Japanese descent stuck in camps when Americans who were high profile members of the German American Bund allowed to freely roam the streets? And, why did the Supreme Court of the United States confirm that such discrimination was legal – Korematsu?
It is both a strength and a weakness of our diversity – diversity of thought, background, national origin, heritage, geography, family status, economic status, educational attainment, and most of all, our varying personal experiences and everyday life disparities – you are who you are because of where you were, when. For example, much of my perspective comes from the fact that my mom was a legal immigrant who came to America at 7 months of age 100 years ago, July 30, 1925!
Keep in mind that while I did not vote for Nixon, Ford, Carter II, Mondale, Dukakis, Clinton I, Clinton II, Gore, Kerry, Obama I, Obama II, Trump I, Clinton III, Trump II, Biden I/Obama III, Trump II, Harris – Nixon, Ford, Carter, Clinton, Obama, Trump and Biden were MY president, and yours, too!
A family member recently asked me what I would do if there was another Civil War, or if America was attacked by a foreign power. At my creaking old age I responded that, based on the oath I took 53+ years ago, to defend the Constitution of the United States, I would again pick up a weapon and defend America (I still have my last set of combat boots and my raggedy old field jacket). I would be worthless in the field, perhaps even a liability, but they will probably need cooks, scavengers, truck drivers, whatever – wherever I could serve …
However, survey data suggests only a minority of 21% would step up and respond to that call.
https://www.newsweek.com/american-military-recruitment-problems-public-apathy-1842449
That is most disheartening to me.
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Al Lindquist:
We held an election say 5-6 months ago and how many of the concerns you list were the ones folks voted on?-
seems # 1 was illegal immigration and that is seemingly taken care of–took Trump a few weeks and border crossings collapsed–just think if the loons on the left had done anything significant (no wall needed) maybe Trump would be back running a hotel or two. You and your cohorts kept telling us what a great thing it was that millions of illegals were here and coming faster than a Japanese bullet train. Maybe not—what do you think?
I think inflation is lower now then when he took over but talk to me in a year about this as so much is a Biden hangover whether positive or negative so I give Trump little or no credit.
Budget deficit as a % of GDP is the only way to measure where we are–at least with DOGE we are recognizing the problem and making efforts to tackle it–now ham handed they are but the clown who preceded Trump did absolutely nothing but grow the debt. When your friends held the rein all you could do is tell me what should be done–not that they did anything.
I think crime was and is a major concern and your trying to deny what we all know is the real red herring–cities are now trying to change the laws the loons on the left passed which gave more protection to the perp than the victim. Recent elections in San Francisco and Oakland (not yet decided) show that folks are fed up with crime and disorder and voting accordingly.
Of course the wild card will be tariffs and in my opinion the implementation of them as currently proposed is reckless and foolish, and will sink Trump and Republicans in ’26. They will learn the hard way just like you did last November. Stupid and foolish ideas just won’t fly.
Saw your boy on TV last night–called 35% of us “heartless” –started his speech before the music stopped–and mentioned the “colored children” that rode the bus. And to think you told us what great shape he was in and was the best choice to beat Trump–until he wasn’t.
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You seem extremely stable.
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I’m too tired to go over all this, but just let me say. Go back and check the facts on crime, illegals, inflation and also review the source of lies and misinformation that got people voting as half did.
And then, consider what is happening now to suppress opposition, attack education and above all the behavior of the person we elected as our leader. Bullying, personal attacks lying and misrepresenting facts, trying to skirt the law, etc.
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