Americans not confident in leaders, oppose more bailouts

Americans are scared witless about the economy and their own finances.

But newly released poll findings show they also have little confidence in government and business leaders -- other than President Obama -- to make things better.

According to the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey, 40 percent are very confident and 35 percent somewhat confident that the Obama administration "will make the right decisions to help the country overcome its current economic problems."

Only 19 percent are very confident in congressional Democrats and 9 percent in congressional Republicans, 11 percent for labor leaders, only 5 percent each for auto executives and bank executives, and a mere 4 percent are very confident in Wall Street investors.

The poll also suggests there's little appetite for forking over more taxpayer money to help bail out the struggling auto industry or Wall Street. Only 37 percent favor, and 61 percent oppose, more aid to the automakers. Only 36 percent favor, and 62 percent oppose, shelling out the remaining $350 billion in financial rescue funds.

But Americans support more direct help -- 63 percent favor government assistance to homeowners who can't pay their mortgages and 72 percent favor "a program that would increase the federal government's influence over the country's health care system in an attempt to lower costs and provide health care coverage to more Americans."