Seventy percent of the folks who took the poll say "bad idea." (One of you suggested Uncle Sam would be better off giving good borrowers low-cost refi's.)

Nineteen percent say "good idea badly executed," including the reader who wrote in "good idea in theory but bad in actuality," which seems like basically the same point to me.

That leaves 11 percent who say "good idea" without the "but."

I asked people to identify whether they're renters or homeowners. Would renters disagree with taxpayer spending on the housing market (most would-be buyers prefer lower prices) while homeowners, concerned about their property values, offer three cheers?

Nope: A majority of homeowners and renters who took the poll think it's a bad idea. But more homeowners than renters do think it's a good idea, or a good idea badly executed. Sixty-three percent of homeowners say "bad idea," compared with 80 percent of renters.

Does this match the thinking of Marylanders in general, let alone Americans? No idea. This poll might have been open to anyone, but I can't imagine the demographics of poll-takers magically worked out to be a random sample.