Will Americans Ever Trust Their Government Again?

[endicom]

The Federalist
Salena Zito
Oct. 10, 2016

A string of homemade signs lines the highway in front of a small construction business in Rostraver, Pennsylvania. There are 17 in total, and they all reflect the owner’s loss of trust in the government, with their broad array of colorful and sometimes salty phrases. All are directly aimed at the government, not at a particular party.

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A couple of months ago, Dagnes gave a talk at the local Rotary Club. Someone asked her, “How can we encourage young people to get involved in public service?”

Her answer? “Stop telling them that the government is repugnant and full of crooks. That’s a start.”

More... http://thefederalist.com/2016/10/10/will-americans-ever-trust-their-government-again/


Government is repugnant and full of crooks.

[Night Hides Not]

The Federalist
Salena Zito
Oct. 10, 2016

A string of homemade signs lines the highway in front of a small construction business in Rostraver, Pennsylvania. There are 17 in total, and they all reflect the owner’s loss of trust in the government, with their broad array of colorful and sometimes salty phrases. All are directly aimed at the government, not at a particular party.

>

A couple of months ago, Dagnes gave a talk at the local Rotary Club. Someone asked her, “How can we encourage young people to get involved in public service?”

Her answer? “Stop telling them that the government is repugnant and full of crooks. That’s a start.”

More... http://thefederalist.com/2016/10/10/will-americans-ever-trust-their-government-again/


Government is repugnant and full of crooks.

I've worked in the federal government for the last seven years, and you are correct.

OTOH, I've also worked with a lot of fine, honest people, that are worthy of trust and respect. The other 80% are just in it for the paycheck.

[endicom]

OTOH, I've also worked with a lot of fine, honest people, that are worthy of trust and respect. The other 80% are just in it for the paycheck.

The same can be found in business organizations. The ones about to slide into oblivion. Decay is just the natural order of things.

But good management can reverse the decay in a private organization. In government the decay is covered over with another layer of costly bureaucracy.

[Free Vulcan]

Short answer: No.

[skeeter]

"Her answer? “Stop telling them that the government is repugnant and full of crooks. That’s a start.”"

Lie to them is her answer.

Thats about right.

[skeeter]

The same can be found in business organizations. The ones about to slide into oblivion. Decay is just the natural order of things.

But good management can reverse the decay in a private organization. In government the decay is covered over with another layer of costly bureaucracy.

Government is a business organization with police powers and the power of life and death over its customers.

People should give that some thought.

[endicom]

Government is a business organization with police powers and the power of life and death over its customers.

330 million stockholders and the 'profit' goes all to management.

[Sanguine]

It's not "our" government.

[endicom]

It's not "our" government.

Good point. "The government" is what I used to hear.

[libertybele]

What many have seemed to have forgotten is "We the People" ARE the government.  Unfortunately the tables were turned a long time ago and now things have completely spiraled out of control.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Seems to me, trusting government is the reason we are in the mess we are in.

[endicom]

What many have seemed to have forgotten is "We the People" ARE the government.

At one time I would probably have accepted that as being somehow true but the 'somehow' nags. Even that "of the people, by the people and for the people" has government as being separate from the people. 

[Oceander]

What many have seemed to have forgotten is "We the People" ARE the government.  Unfortunately the tables were turned a long time ago and now things have completely spiraled out of control.

"We the people" really aren't the government; that is the whole point to a republican form of government.  The Founders were extremely wary of popular government and demagogues - Trump would have made them vomit - and they purposefully designed a system where "We the people" were in charge of appointing the agents who ran the government for us, but were not actually able to run the government ourselves in any detail.  Unfortunately, "We the people" have been gradually tearing that structure down and injecting more and more demagogy into the system, such as when the election of senators was subjected to popular vote rather than election by the state's own legislature.

[Oceander]

Seems to me, trusting government is the reason we are in the mess we are in.

I think that was the essence of Reagan's approach to government.

[dfwgator]

Why would they have ever trusted it in the first place?

[Sanguine]

Why would they have ever trusted it in the first place?

Not sure they did.  That's why they wrote so many limits and checks and balances in.

[dfwgator]

"We the people" really aren't the government; that is the whole point to a republican form of government.  The Founders were extremely wary of popular government and demagogues - Trump would have made them vomit - and they purposefully designed a system where "We the people" were in charge of appointing the agents who ran the government for us, but were not actually able to run the government ourselves in any detail.  Unfortunately, "We the people" have been gradually tearing that structure down and injecting more and more demagogy into the system, such as when the election of senators was subjected to popular vote rather than election by the state's own legislature.

I think another thing is now the Government dictates to the two main parties how to select their candidates. Where is it enshrined that a candidate has to be selected via Primaries? Political parties should be completely private entities with no direct government support or oversight.  That would open the system up to other parties and at least give parties like The Constitution Party a fighting chance.

[kjam22]

I think another thing is now the Government dictates to the two main parties how to select their candidates. Where is it enshrined that a candidate has to be selected via Primaries? Political parties should be completely private entities with no direct government support or oversight.  That would open the system up to other parties and at least give parties like The Constitution Party a fighting chance.

Agree.... in the same vein.... now we have a federal court ruling against Florida and ordering them to extend their registration deadline.

[dfwgator]

Agree.... in the same vein.... now we have a federal court ruling against Florida and ordering them to extend their registration deadline.

It's nuts.

[INVAR]

Will Americans Ever Trust Their Government Again?

NO.

It no longer has any lawful, legitimate or moral authority over a moral and free people.

It is wholly corrupted and has invalidated it's authority.

All it has right now, is guns their agents will put to our heads to force compliance.

This is not a free republic.

This is not liberty.

We used to call what we now begrudgingly accept as 'life in America'; tyranny and despotism.  Our Forbears went to war over much, much less than what we put up with today.

But this people are grown accustomed to such. They have embraced their chains because they are members of the Free Feces Army, enjoying their hand outs stolen from their neighbors by the hands of the Beast they have empowered.

[dfwgator]

The only difference between the US and the Soviet Union was that in the Soviet Union, they dictated that there would only be one party.

In this country, we dictated that there would be two.