As of late, American voters seem more concerned with having revenue to invest in national priorities than in giving it away in the form of costly and regressive tax cuts. In recent elections, voters in California, Colorado, and Washington state rejected ballot measures that would have rolled back tax increases or limited state spending. Many believe that after September 11 and the Gulf Coast hurricanes, more Americans are starting to see the value of a strong government infrastructure which can adequately respond to public needs by providing safety and various other services.

Sen. Grassley stated yesterday that "Social Security is probably dead until 2009," according to The Hill. He is the first leader to acknowledge that an overhaul of Social Security will not be achievable in the near future. Grassley told lobbyists and officials in a speech before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, "I can’t even get consensus among Republicans, so I’m very pessimistic about it in the future."