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The Readers digest investigation asked Americans which was the biggest threat to the nations futurebig business, big labor or big government. A whopping 67 percent repliedbig government Opinion researchers rarely see such a vast change in public attitude. When put in historical perspective, from the time of Franklin Roosevelts New Deal to the present, the fallen status of government as a protector and benefactor is extraordinary. Weve returned to the instinctive American wariness of Washington so common before the Great Depression. In our poll, taken before the November elections, the overwhelming majority of our respondents wanted to stop or roll back the impact of government. In answer to another question posed by The Digest, 79 percent said they wanted either no more than the current level of government services and taxes, or less government and lower taxes. It seems to me that we in the middle class bear most of the burden, says Jone Nell Norman, 61, a nurse in Dyersburg, Tenn., who often wonders about the governments judgement in spending her money. Of Americans in our sample, 62 percent believe that politicians ethics and honesty have fallen. And what about Congress? Is it doing a good job? Or do membersspend more time thinking about their political futures than passing good legislation? Across generations, a thumping 89 percent thought the latter. Congress always seems to be screwing up, says one young Xer. | 
