Why don’t Americans trust the government and other institutions? Perhaps it is because the government and other institutions are not trustworthy.
There is certainly plenty of evidence for both lack of trust and lack of reliability. And if the trend continues, it bodes ill for the United States.
The news is bad about lack of trust. A recent survey by the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago found that most Americans think the government is “corrupt and rigged against people like me.” Two-thirds of Republicans and independents felt that way, but things weren’t much better among liberals, 51% of whom agreed. So these are not the usual sour grapes of the party out of power, it is a general sentiment.
Why do people feel this way? Well, that’s a real farce, but I’m going to offer a suggestion: they feel that way because they’ve realized that the government is corrupt and rigged against people like them.
Those in government live in a world of revolving doors and no consequences. Does it fail to protect or serve the public? It is likely that he will get away with it and land up in a comfortable position in the private sector after his “public service” ends. Then, the next time his party is in power, he is likely to return to another government post that will set him up for an even more comfortable job in the private sector later on.
Did he champion a policy that failed spectacularly, spread misery around the world, or caused people to die? No matter! The chance of you facing anything worse than a critical op-ed is slim.
As Peggy Noonan says, our society is divided into the “protected” class, who make the policies, and the “unprotected” class, who have to live with the policies and their consequences. Your children may lose their jobs due to green energy policies; Children of the protected class will find lucrative positions as green energy consultants or private equity partners. Does inflation make food and gasoline more expensive? You will feel it, but they will barely notice. War overseas? Your children will not be the ones to fight.
And they have become shameless. Note this week’s effort to redefine the recession ahead of Thursday’s poor gross domestic product announcement. Previously, as Investment expert Jeffrey Carter points out, a recession meant two consecutive quarters (six months) of economic decline. Now means. . . anything else.
What other thing? Whatever is convenient. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen appeared on television and said that even if this quarter’s numbers are negative (they did), it’s not a recession because . . . well, just because As Carter says, “She’s wrong. She knows it. Also, she told a pretty big lie for a political twist and didn’t do it convincingly. “
When asked to define a recession, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre wasn’t specific, but said we’re not in one. Or even in a “pre-recession”, whatever that is.
Other administration spokesmen said it won’t count as a recession until the National Bureau of Economic Research pronounces it a year or more after the fact. (And conveniently after the midterms, too.) That’s what he did in 2008. The Council of Economic Advisers, political reportsis “crafting blog posts and studies” to try to negate the obvious.
They will say anything to retain power. Before there was a certain shame to limit their excesses, but the political class is now shameless and people see it.
But the mistrust extends beyond politics.
Americans do not trust institutions in general, according to a Gallup poll made last month. After the humiliation of Afghanistan last year, the previously highly trusted military has been dealt a major blow. Only 5% of people trust newspapers “very much” (that much?), and only 2% trust Congress. Nineteen percent trust the police, 15% trust the medical system, 11% trust big tech companies, etc. There’s not a lot of trust out there.
And why should there be? All these institutions have had a bad year. (The police are doing well to withhold 19% after the Uvalde Massacrein which cops stepped aside as children were killed within earshot).
The way you gain trust is by telling people the truth, doing the things you promise to do, and admitting when you’re wrong and doing better next time. Lying to people, breaking promises, and redefining terms to escape responsibility may seem cunning to political actors, but this behavior shows.
Can our nation prosper when most people think it’s basically one big organized crime operation? I really doubt it. But who will make our leaders do it better?
Glenn Harlan Reynolds is a professor of law at the University of Tennessee and founder of the blog InstaPundit.com.