Controlling What You Can is our new series dedicated to asking YOU what matters most on the major policy topics that face the nation. This post is a recap of a poll we put out on 4/18/2025. If you want to join the conversation, keep an eye on your inbox and check us out on X – we ask a new question every week. Want to join the conversation? Sign up here and follow us on X.
We asked you all two big questions about our national economic policy. The first was a general overview question of “are ongoing reforms making the American economy more or less competitive globally?”
You were staunchly of the opinion that the economy is not tooled to help out regular Americans (by the way, if you want to add your thoughts to this slider, or leave a comment on the page, you can do so here).
After that, we dug into more detail – we asked you “which national economic issue, other than inflation, is most important for the government to address?”
Forwardists have some interesting thoughts about our economic position. This poll—more than any other we’ve had so far—has had the most split sentiment reading, with 34% of you thinking that current economic choices are making us more competitive. Still, 66% of you disagree with that assessment.
The national debt looms large on Forwardists minds, with our current Debt to GDP ratio at an alarming 130%. Wage stagnation was a fairly close second, though. As an example of why that might be top of mind: in 1985, the median home price was about 4 times the median income; today, it’s nearly 8 times.
Thank you for your suggestions and ideas on how the government can approach these issues. Here is a summary of what you said:
Reforming Institutions & Preparing For The Next Disruptor
- You called for the government to modernize our economic strategies, looking forward to what’s coming next instead of just looking at pain points for today.
- Many of you cited the rise of Artificial Intelligence and the possible downturn it could cause in the job market as an area for which to prepare.
Wage Stagnation & Retirement Security
- Stagnation of wages across the last few decades has made the American dream just a dream for an ever growing number of people.
- The safety net of Social Security isn’t keeping up with the rapid increase in cost of living—you called for a more responsive benefits system.
Innovation & Technology Leadership
- There was a strongly expressed desire for the US to continue to be the center of global innovation and the leader in new technologies. The less we invest in R&D, the sooner other countries will outpace us.