Poll Finds Most Wary of Tax Cuts, War

WASHINGTON —  Two out of three Americans believe it’s prudent to hold off on more tax cuts, a centerpiece of President Bush’s domestic policy agenda, an Associated Press poll found.

They greet the new year more cautious about their personal spending, yet almost 44% were somewhat optimistic that their financial situations will improve.

On the international front, the poll found people wary of a war with Iraq and much more likely to view Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network as threats than Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Those anxieties were voiced by Joanne Arriola, a 62-year-old retiree from a utility company in Butte, Mont. She’s seen her retirement fund reduced sharply by the troubled economy, worries about the effects of a war in Iraq and is convinced that war will return to America.

“It’s a scary new year,” she said. “My children are too old to go, but a lot of young people aren’t.

“When the war starts, it will start here too. I think that once we’re in the war, we’re going to see something on our soil.”

Two-thirds said they were worried that war with Iraq would increase chances of a terrorist attack in the United States, said the poll conducted by ICR/International Communications Research of Media, Pa. The poll of 1,008 adults was taken Dec. 13-17 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

On economics, even most Republicans interviewed said it would be better to hold off on tax cuts to avoid deeper deficits. The White House is putting together tax cuts that could total $300 billion.