You're Less Hated Than Your HMO Is

For reasons best known to themselves, Americans have adopted a friendlier view of major industries this year. The chart here excerpts a Gallup poll on the topic. Of the two dozen sectors covered by the poll, only retailing and farming/agriculture failed to improve the sum of their positive votes minus their negative votes. Even the advertising/ public-relations biz rose in public esteem: 41 percent of adults had positive opinions of it, vs. 31 percent last year.