The one sour note is how Alabamians view the nation as a whole. By a 53-39 percent margin, they say it is going in the wrong direction. That may be explained by the fact that events in Washington seem farther removed from peoples concerns and needs than those at the state and local levels. Congress has also suffered slightly since the last Alabama Poll. But that number is still higher than even earlier polls that showed Congress with favorable ratings as low as 19 percent.
Most people dont spend a lot of time worrying about the Middle East or tort reform.
In contrast, such general ''issue concerns as the economy, education, crime and moral values barely register as a personal concern. In all, asked an open-ended question about ''the biggest concern in your life at the present time, more than 70 percent of those surveyed chose personal rather than political issues. And 62 percent said they should take care of their family before worrying about the welfare of the community and the nation. Thats the view of Brandi Hall of Huntsville who works as a janitor at Parkway City Mall. Politicians must ''deal with a lot of issues that dont affect us every day, he said.