With so much unrest and division in the country, I wondered if there were any issues Americans could agree on. So, I typed “what issues do Americans agree on?” into the search engine and . . . lo and behold, there are many issues. Utilizing YouGov polling, last September, CBS News reporter Jennifer Martin came up with a list of issues where most of us stand together. Here are a few.

– Seventy-three percent of Americans believe teachers should be paid more than they are currently receiving. Amen to that, brother.

– Sixty-one percent of Americans support policies that would prevent landlords from raising the rent. Good news for millions, especially in these inflationary times.

– At 65 percent, Americans have an unfavorable view of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Not much of a shock. While I’m sympathetic to McConnell after a recent concussion-causing fall, my top reason for my dislike of McConnell comes down to a statement he told constituents in 2017. After President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, here’s what the Dark Lord of the Senate told constituents:

“One of my proudest moments was when I told Obama, ‘You will not fill this Supreme Court vacancy.’”

– Americans agree, by 60 percent, that the government should increase spending on public housing. Bombarded by cost increases everywhere, public housing might just be the answer not only to affordable living but a growing homeless crisis.

– Inflation is kicking the bejesus out of all but the elite. Eighty-eight percent believe that price increases are a top priority. I just paid $6.99 for a half-gallon of milk. Can the Federal Reserve put a plan in place to kick back at price rises?

– While President Biden’s legislation of student-debt relief is being challenged in the Supreme Court, 67 percent of the country would like to see medical-debt relief. I’m all for that, provided that it’s tied to lower prescription and insurance costs.

– For all the talk by Republicans about cutting spending programs, “79 percent of Americans have favorable views of Social Security, 79 percent have favorable views of Medicare, 77 percent have favorable views of disability insurance, 76 percent have favorable views of Medicaid, 74 percent have favorable views of SNAP (food stamps), 71 percent have favorable views of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), 71 percent have favorable views of unemployment insurance, and 67 percent have favorable views of public housing assistance.” CBS reports.

– In the “No-Brainer” category: 64 percent of us believe there are TOO MANY POLITICAL ADS. I thought this would be a universal issue, however, as CBS reports, “Canada’s campaign season is typically less than three months; in Mexico, it’s 90 days; in Argentina, it’s 60 days; and in France, election campaigning is usually about two weeks long. Meanwhile, in America, candidates announce they’re running up to two years in advance.”

– No-Brainer # 2: Super Pacs Need to Go! “79 percent of us believe that the only reason someone would donate $1 million to a political super PAC is that they want something big in return.”

– The “No Surprise” category: 64 percent of Americans believe abortion should be untouchable federal law. In an ideal world, abortion shouldn’t be necessary. But we don’t live in an ideal world. Birth defects, risk of death for the mother are just a few of the issues involved.

– Sixty-one percent of us believe that illegal immigration is a serious problem in the United States. But a fix is next to impossible given the large number of families that come from central and south America where drug cartels rule.

– By wide margins, Americans favor the police and military. While serious, systemic issues are regularly being uncovered, 68 percent support local police, and 77 percent favor the military.

– Here’s an issue that’s crying out for more, much more visible support. Asked what the most essential quality for a president, 89 percent say it’s honesty, and 88 percent believe the president should fight for what’s right. That may be what Americans say in polls, but let’s see it at the ballot box. And 87 percent believe the president should unite the country.

Other issues include, a fear of white-supremacist extremism, protecting civil liberties, violent crime, and racism are serious issues, and Texas barbecue is the best. Amen to that, too.

– Finally, most of us—77 percent—believe that the “stars and stripes” is a flag we can all rally around.