OSKALOOSA — By a 3-1 margin, those readers who answered this past week’s Question of the Week: “Will the across-the-board cut hurt Culver’s re-election chances?” said YES.

Forty-three — 75.44 percent — answered YES while 14 — 24.56 percent said NO.

The Question of the Week poll is not scientific and only reflects the opinions of those Internet users who have chosen to participate. The Question of the Week is just another way the Herald’s readers can voice their opinions about issues that affect them.

This week’s Question of the Week deals with the public’s plans for holiday spending.

Now that Halloween has passed, the Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping seasons are just around the corner. But, the latest economic news indicates holiday shopping my get off to a slow start.

The Commerce Department said Friday that spending dropped 0.5 percent in September — meeting economists’ expectations. Personal incomes were unchanged as workers contend with rising unemployment and a squeeze on wages, the Associated Press reported.

While the overall economy grew from July through September, and signaled the end of the worst recession in seven decades, the weakness in spending and incomes as the quarter ended underscored the fragility of the recovery, the AP reported.

The 0.5 percent drop in consumer spending in September followed a 1.4 percent surge in August which was propelled by the big jump in car sales that month as consumers rushed to take advantage of the “Cash for Clunkers” incentives, the AP reported.

With an economic recovery skating on thin ice and personal incomes staying the same, are you more motivated to go bargain hunting this holiday season?

What do you think?

This week’s Question of the Week: Are you going to be more sales conscious this holiday shopping season?

People can vote on The Herald’s Web site, oskaloosa.com, from Monday through noon on Friday. Then, votes will be tallied and published the following Monday.