STIMULATE THIS

A Rasmussen poll shows people in a muddle about the stimulus package that President Obama signs into law on Tuesday.

Not quite four in 10 Americans (38%) think the plan will help the economy. Almost three in 10 (29%) think it'll hurt. Another 24 percent don't think it'll do much of either.

Some money grafs:

Middle-income Americans are more likely to believe the bill will hurt rather than help. Those with incomes below $40,000 or above $100,000 are more optimistic.

By a 49% to 24% margin, government employees believe the stimulus plan will help the economy. Private sector workers are evenly divided. Investors are less optimistic than non-investors.

Fifty percent (50%) of voters believe the bill consists primarily of new government spending while 31% believe it is primarily a mix of new spending and tax cuts. Only eight percent (8%) think the legislation consists primarily of tax cuts. According to news reports, the stimulus plan is made up of $281 billion in tax cuts for individuals and businesses and over $500 billion in new government spending.

Half of the electorate buys a too-simple talking point peddled on talk radio. Next thing you know, someone's going to claim that millions of Americans don't believe in evolution. Great.

DISSING GOD, VERMONT STYLE

A Gallup poll shows a state-by-state breakdown of belief in religion, and Vermont is in trouble if there's really a lake of fire.

According to the poll, only 42 percent of people in Vermont say religion is an important part of their lives.

In case you're wondering:

-- Missouri ranked 15th in the nation in religious belief. Almost seven in 10 Missourians -- 68 percent, to be precise -- said religion is important in their lives.

-- In Arkansas, 78 percent of people professed to be true believers.

-- For all the hype, godless California ain't so godless. Fifty-seven percent of Californians gave a fervent shout-out to Big G, who has already returned the favor.

Proclaiming the importance of religion to a pollster doesn't guarantee accuracy, but the poll is worth some thinking.

PALIN BY COMPARISON

Late Thursday, and the latest New York Times poll is out. Sen. Barack Obama maintains his apparent lead over Sen. John McCain (51-40 among likely voters in a head-to-head battle; 52-39 when third-party candidates are included). And the news for McCain goes downhill from there.

The poll also indicates Gov. Sarah Palin has become a millstone around McCain's neck. A couple interesting grafs to share:

Nearly a third of voters polled said that the vice-presidential selection would be a major factor influencing their vote for president, and those voters broadly favored Senator Barack Obama. ...

While a majority viewed Ms. Palin as unqualified for the vice presidency, about three quarters of voters saw Mr. Obama’s running mate, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, as qualified for the job. The increase in the number of voters who said that Ms. Palin was not prepared was driven almost entirely by Republicans and independents.

Overall, views of Ms. Palin were apparently shaped more by ideology and party than by gender. Ms. Palin was viewed as unprepared for the job by about 6 in 10 men and women alike. But 8 in 10 Democrats viewed her as unprepared, as well as more than 6 in 10 independents, and 3 in 10 Republicans.

You know you're in trouble when 30 percent of your party thinks your veep pick is inadequate. What seemed daring a month ago now looks desperate. But Sarah Palin is no Dan Quayle. She'll be back.

MULLETS FOR MCCAIN

Ozarks definition of a mullet: The driver of a slow-moving RV, usually on a winding highway around Branson, always in front of you.

As RV Business reports, a poll shows mullets love Sen. John McCain:

Fully 67% of the 346 participants cast their ballots for Republican Senator McCain. Democratic Senator Barack Obama was a distant second at 25% while Libertarian Bob Barr carried 2% and another 6% were undecided.

The overwhelming factor among McCain supporters was his level of experience.

"There are several key issues, including national security, taxes and the economy," said a member of the supplier community. "Obama is inexperienced and has no track record to be qualified to lead our country. It's somewhat unbelievable he has gotten this far."

Slow-moving drivers for a slow-moving president.

WHO'S UNELECTABLE?

We have friends -- really, a few -- who say Sen. Hillary Clinton can't win because she's "unelectable" (conveniently overlooking the fact that she's been elected, twice, to the U.S. Senate). They say she's too polarizing, too harsh, too strong.

But right now she's the most-electable Democrat running for president, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research poll. And three Republicans carry more negative impact with registered voters:

Would Definitely Vote Against That Candidate in November

Romney 62%
Giuliani 55%
Huckabee 52%
Clinton 43%
McCain 43%
Obama 38%

Would Definitely Vote For That Candidate in November

Clinton 37%
Obama 30%
McCain 22%
Giuliani 19%
Huckabee 15%
Romney 13%

In head-to-head match-ups, Clinton and Barack Obama beat any Republican presidential candidate.

READERS: WRIGHT SHOULD RESIGN

As pledged, here are the results from our recent CHATTER poll on what to do with Shelia Wright, the councilwoman with those zany, out-of-control dogs:

•She should resign (43.8%).

•She should ditch the dogs (34.4%).

•She should enclose herself in an electric fence and wear a collar so she can't get out (25%).

•She should enter Zeke in the News-Leader's Pet Idol contest (21.9%).

•She should lather up with a couple of fresh, bloody pounds of ground chuck, and jump over a good old fashioned concertina-wire fence into a junkyard guarded by a Rottweiler that hasn't been fed for three days (12.5%).

•She should ignore the proles and continue to pretend her dogs aren't a problem (6.2%).

•She should throw a tea party summit for any neighbors and/or neighboring animals who allege to have been bitten or even scared by her sweet, innocent little pooch, so that everyone can discuss these issues in a non-threatening venue, after which all participants could hug each other and sing "Kumbaya" in perfect harmony (3.1%).

Other reader suggestions included:

Leave anonymous notes saying "bitch," "slut," and "whore," in places where only her dog-owning neighbors will find them, get herself caught on videotape, receive an ex parte order from said neighbors, then tell reporters "Next time, I'll sign my name!"

Adopt the wolf couple that escaped from Predator World on Friday. Add wolf pack to growing menagerie of gentle, loving pets.

Let's see ... wear a pointy hat and black sheet ... stand on a box with her arms outstretched ... wires coming out from under the sheet .. and hook up to CU's power grid.

Get together with Ralph "I'm so happy I could jump up and down and give away silver dollars" Manley and start a half way house for idiot city council members. These two make Slavens and Shikany look like Mensa candidates.

Tough crowd. Good job.

CHATTER POLL: SHELIA WRIGHT

Our recent post on Springfield City Councilwoman Shelia Wright elicited several delightfully droll remarks -- so why not include them in a poll about her? And not one of those boring "yes/no" polls; creativity counts.

To give us your opinion on Shelia Wright, click here and take our survey. We've included many of your suggestions, including those involving ground chuck and a tea-party summit.

No registration required, no gathering of super-secret IP data, no salesman (or woman) will call. We'll compile the numbers and report back on Friday, Feb. 23. Ready to dream up the future for Shelia Wright? Click here and vote.