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What would need to change in order for Californians to feel more optimistic about the coming year?

According to The Field Poll released Tuesday, the first conducted in six languages and dialects, a majority (59%) of registered California voters report being worse off financially than they were a year ago. Forty-eight percent think there will be no change in their economic well-being in the coming year, and slightly more (27%) believe they will be better off than worse off (18%).

Should a public health insurance plan be offered as part of national health care reform legislation?

The House and Senate health care reform bills each are around 2,000 pages long. The public health insurance option fills less than 15 pages in each bill, but is making headlines and stirring heated debate between Democrats and Republicans, and among Democrats in both chambers.

In both the House and Senate versions, the so-called "public option" is a proposed health insurance plan offered by the U.S. federal government. The idea is that if a government-run option were offered to compete with private insurers, it could help keep costs in check and ensure quality. It would compete with similar private insurance plans in a newly-created Health Insurance Exchange or marketplace, from which individuals, families and small businesses could buy health insurance that meets a minimum federal standard. Those covered by other employer plans or state insurance plans such as Medicare would not be eligible for coverage from the exchange and could not obtain this form of federal health insurance. The federal government's health insurance plan would be financed by premiums with no subsidy from the government. The Senate version would allow states to opt out of the federal program.

Should a public health insurance plan be offered as part of national health care reform legislation?

Resources:
The Kaiser Family Foundation's Side-By-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals

Pro-Publica's ongoing coverage

Forum with Michael Krasny: Senate Committee Passes Health Care Bill (Oct. 14, 2009)

The California Report: The Future of Insurance Age Rating (Oct. 27, 2009)

Is it politics or the governing structure that has paralyzed California?

There is no shortage of places to have your voice heard on almost any topic, including this site. But even with all of the opportunities to create and comment, scientifically conducted polls continue to serve an important purpose. They are the best instrument we have to track the opinions of a diverse group of citizens on important issues.

This week the venerable Field Poll released three polls that measure our optimism about the direction of the state and the country, the job performance of the Governor and the Legislature, and whether we should change the way we govern ourselves.

Surprisingly, in the poll released Thursday about our optimism, 48 percent of the registered California voters in the Field sample think the country is moving in the right direction, with 41 percent believing the opposite. Those numbers are in stark contrast to where they were in July of 2008 when only 15 percent thought the country was headed in the right direction and 75 percent believed the opposite.

When we turn to California the picture is entirely different. Not surprising in a state with 12.2 percent unemployment and a governor and legislature that were locked in a budget impasse for months, finally resulting in draconian cuts to many cherished programs.

Only 15 percent felt the state was generally going in the right direction while 78 percent think things are seriously on the wrong track. You have to go back to March of 2007 to find a majority 52 percent who felt the state was heading in the right direction, with 38 percent believing the opposite.

So how did the leadership drift so far from the expectations of the people who elected them, even during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression?

That leaves us with the question — is it politics or the governing structure that has the state with a reputation for innovation stopped dead in it tracks?

The Field Polls provide some answers. http://www.field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/

What do you think?