With Congress dashing to overhaul a health care system representing 17% of the economy and affecting the life of every American man, woman and child, respondents to our latest IBD/TIPP Poll are far from a consensus on the path those reforms should take and clearly confused about the options before them.

Persistent job losses seem to be taking a toll on how Americans view President Obama's performance in handling of the economy and federal budget.

Spending: The stimulus isn't working, and Americans don't want another. At least, that's what our latest IBD/TIPP Poll shows. So why is Congress mulling a second stimulus when the first has so obviously failed?

With the attorney general considering the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate Bush administration methods of enhanced interrogation, and congressional Democrats suggesting an investigation of CIA Director Leon Panetta's claims that the agency withheld information from Congress, President Obama might want to consider a new IBD/TIPP Poll that shows Americans are troubled by his

Although sharply divided along party lines, most Americans favor an overhaul of the health care system, but they are concerned that the quality of care will decrease significantly if government is allowed to run it.

Most Americans reject the broader criteria that judicial activists think can be brought to bear on Supreme Court decisions, including the "empathy" standard that President Obama has said is important in particularly difficult cases, a new IBD/TIPP Poll shows.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence rose in June, mirroring the strong gains the stock market has made since early March, a survey released on Tuesday said.

Investor's Business Daily and TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence said their IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index climbed to 50.8 in June from 48.6 in May, marking its highest reading since November 2008.

A figure

Washington is taking a "fresh look" at the value-added tax, which would impose a new levy on every level of production all the way to the consumer. With deficits soaring, a 10% VAT levy might just tempt policymakers, who see it as a way to pay for national health care. They'd better consult the voters first: Our own IBD/TIPP Poll finds voters ­- regardless of party - overwhelmingly oppose a VAT,

Fiscal Policy: Given the number of new tax ideas making the rounds, you'd think we were in a rip-roaring expansion. But we're not, and new taxes are exactly the wrong thing to be proposing.

In addition to kicking up taxes on the so-called wealthy, various members of the current administration seem to have lots of new ideas for separating Americans from their

Despite President Obama's pledge to "cut taxes for 95% of workers and their families," a majority of Americans think his administration will raise taxes instead. According to this month's IBD/TIPP Poll, 57% think their federal income taxes are going up and 19% expect no change. Only 16% think they're going down. Interestingly, similar percentages apply to middle-income earners (in the $50,000