No Trust!
A recent Newsmax article reads: AP Poll: Public Doubts Government’s Problem-Solving Ability! The
Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted a survey
last month that determines over 60% of respondents have little-to-no confidence
that the federal government can correct the problems facing our nation. Is this
a surprise to anyone? Our communities and our country are inundated by crisis. Just look at the news: Budget Deficit, Healthcare, Foreign Policy, Unemployment,
Immigration, Gun Violence, Climate Change, National Security, Education, and
Poverty – the list goes on and
on. Our governing body is failing us and because of this, people have no trust
in government.
Or is the problem that citizens have too much trust in their
elected officials? Elected officials are
chosen based on the vote of their constituents, and sent off to Capitol Hill to
save the world. But then what? These officials are thrust into an environment
of big business, big money, lobbyist, and the underlying pressure to be
reelected. They have to walk a fine line of representing their voters and
fitting in. The peer-pressure on Capitol Hill is often too much for
representatives to withstand and they end up “Drinking the Kool- Aid”*. Citizens
often do not request anything further from those elected, and implicitly trust
that they will do right by their communities. This is a dangerous
misconception.
Carl Malamud proposed in his chapter entitled “By the People”
in Open Government that a democratic society
should be open, transparent and available to the public. Many legislative
bodies have closed sessions and citizens should demand access to the law-making
process. Until we take the initiative and interest in what is happening in OUR
government and stop being merely spectators, we will continue to feel hopeless
in addressing the many crisis’s that our nation is facing. This is our
challenge.
*"Drinking the Kool-Aid" is a figure of
speech commonly used in North America
that refers to a person or group holding an unquestioned belief, argument, or
philosophy without critical examination. It could also refer to knowingly going
along with a doomed or dangerous idea because of peer pressure. The phrase
often times carries a negative connotation when applied to an individual or
group. It can also be used ironically or humorously to refer to accepting an
idea or changing a preference due to popularity, peer pressure, or persuasion -
Wikipedia
