From the AP today:

Poll: Americans see gloom, doom in 2007

WASHINGTON - Another terrorist attack, a warmer planet, death and destruction from a natural disaster. These are among Americans’ grim predictions for the United States in 2007.

Only a minority of people think the U.S. will go to war with Iran or North Korea over those countries’ nuclear ambitions. An overwhelming majority of those surveyed think Congress will raise the federal minimum wage. One-third see hope for a cure to cancer.

These are among the findings of an Associated Press-AOL News poll that asked people in the U.S. to contemplate what 2007 holds for the country.

(snip)

Meanwhile, that same AP also published this today:

AP Poll: Americans Optimistic for 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) — The news from Iraq and other national headlines may be grim, but in Greenville, N.C., John Given has a new baby and his first home, and life is good.

So, too, for Sandra Trowbridge in tiny Magnet Cove, Ark. The situation in Iraq makes her feel pessimistic about the state of the nation, but at home, at least, all is well. Even if nothing special has happened to her family, she says, “we still love each other,” and that’s enough.

And so it goes for most Americans. An AP-AOL News Poll finds that while most Americans said 2006 was a bad year for the country, three-fourths thought it had been a good one for them and their families.

“In a time of war, so little has been asked of us as citizens,” said Given, who teaches ancient Greek at East Carolina University. “We haven’t had to sacrifice anything. We’ve been allowed to live our lives very, very well.”

Looking ahead, optimism reigns.

Seventy-two percent of Americans feel good about what 2007 will bring for the country, and an even larger 89 percent are optimistic about the new year for themselves and their families, according to the poll.

(snip)

The latter comes from an Ipsos poll conducted for AP-AOL from Dec 12-14. The former came from exactly the same poll.

I conducted a poll on Dec 31, discussing this with a random sample of 1,000 of my multiple personalities. The poll indicated that:

1) The funnies findings in both articles were these, from the gloom & doomers:

_25 percent anticipate the second coming of Jesus Christ.

_19 percent think scientists are likely to find evidence of extraterrestrial life.

2) 65% of me believe Jesus Christ qualifies as an extraterrestrial, and hopes he arrives in time to multiply a fish and a bit of bread dough into bagels and lox for everyone.

3) 97% of me thinks AP is goofing on us. But its impact will be negligible because we’re all sufficiently goofy already.

4) 105% of me believes some AP editors have dipped into the New Year’s champagne a bit early.

My poll has no margin of error. But its Mommy dresses it funny.