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Why have so many American's started distrusting thier government?
Growing up in these United States, Wyoming specifically, which is a pretty conservative state, as I recall everyone was proud to be American, Proud and respectful of our government; I don't recall hearing many people ranting about how much they distrusted the government, the way I do now.
What happened? What brought on this change? These days it seems like large numbers of American citizens do not trust our government and the numbers of people who feel that way seem to be growing more and more each year.
I do remember that I began to distrust our government in the 60's when they tried to draft me into the war in Viet Nam. I managed to avoid that, but since then I don't recall having many reasons to to distrust it or think that that it was out to get me or harm me in some way. But I recognize that many other people are very distrusting and that numerous conspiracy theories have sprung up. I'm curious to hear what other people have to say on what caused this change to come about.
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Like you I began distrusting the government during the Vietnam Era, exacerbated by the government sponsored murders at Kent State. Then there was Watergate, demonstrating the very highest levels of government could and did sink to the very pettiest levels. Mix that in with all the other things like politicians bought and sold by and to special interests, so called trustworthy people caught in all manner of sordid affairs, and a divisive two-party system that's become party first, the country and its people a distant second and third, and what reason is there to blindly trust the government?
Yes, I think government's been behind some great things and is a necessary evil but trust? Watching politicians on both sides of the aisle do tangos around issues that would have professional dancers swooning with jealousy make trust a very difficult commodity to come by.
Why have so many American's started distrusting thier government?
Growing up in these United States, Wyoming specifically, which is a pretty conservative state, as I recall everyone was proud to be American, Proud and respectful of our government; I don't recall hearing many people ranting about how much they distrusted the government, the way I do now.
What happened? What brought on this change? These days it seems like large numbers of American citizens do not trust our government and the numbers of people who feel that way seem to be growing more and more each year.
I do remember that I began to distrust our government in the 60's when they tried to draft me into the war in Viet Nam. I managed to avoid that, but since then I don't recall having many reasons to to distrust it or think that that it was out to get me or harm me in some way. But I recognize that many other people are very distrusting and that numerous conspiracy theories have sprung up. I'm curious to hear what other people have to say on what caused this change to come about.
The federal government constantly lies to the public and the public now realizes that. Throw in the additional fact that most politicians are TOTALLY OWNED by special interests. It has all the properties of a criminal enterprise and yet NOBODY is ever held accountable for anything. That breeds resentment. It's just that simple.
People don't like busting their butts to get ahead, paying insane taxes, and then being urinated on by their elected officials while being lectured to. But that's pretty much all they get.
I never really did trust them, (mostly it was lobbyists I took issue with), but I haven't trusted them at all in 12 years.
The government has become way too big, overbloated, and it reaches far in to matters that they should not be involved in. I wish I could remember where I read the article, it was a long time ago, but there was a movement that was started back in the 50s or early 60s, (can't remember exact it was quite some time ago that I read the piece), to change what we knew as our government, to change America in to something it was never meant to be. I didn't read this until about 10 or so years ago, as that was when it was written, but I kept that in the back of my mind and watched.
Just about everything that piece said has been happening, and anyone paying attention can see all of the changes. In the last couple of years, it's like they are getting tired of waiting around, ("they" equals the people that the piece was talking about trying to change things), are getting desperate, and are now just blatantly doing this bull right in front of our faces with no shame whatsoever. They've indoctrinated enough idiots who have no problems being paid to act like giant jackarses, that they don't care if some of us notice.
It seems to me that most people only pay attention to big stories, big events, "right in your face you can't possibly question it at all" events, or only current events, they don't pay attention to all of the little things that have gone over the years, the hundreds and hundreds of little things that build up to one giant smack in the face to the people of this country.
If people took the time to go back, take note of all kinds of "little" things that have happened, start piecing things together, they, too, would completely and totally distrust our government. Right now, we still have enough morons who either don't care, or actually believe that there is no propaganda being thrown at us every day, nor does anyone seem to notice the distractions. The distractions work really well. It used to be a good thing to question, now questioning and critical thinking is considered stupid.
Whatever, as long as people have a phone to shove their face in to, multiple tweets, facebook status updates, instagram pics of food, snapchat, and cat videos....who cares. You don't need to know how to spell, you don't need to know math, you don't need to understand science, you certainly don't need to know about history, we'll tell you what to think, here, have another cat video, isn't it hilarious? We'll take care of the country....just go sit and watch your "reality show", eat your Chipotle, work in a job you fricken despise because that's what you're "supposed to do", and we'll tell you when you should get upset, and we'll tell you when there's nothing to worry about. We'll divide, and then we'll conquer...don't worry, if you go along, you'll be one of our favorites...trust us.
There's plenty of reason to distrust the government. And Republicans have figured out how to take advantage of that:
Sabotage government at every turn, use it for every corrupt purpose imaginable... then point to those failures as to why government doesn't work and promise to do away with X complaint if elected.
One of the reasons our government is structured as a Republic is to protect the "Natural Born Rulers" from the populations that realize the government is not structured to protect the common citizen from the depravations of the wealthy but to protect the wealthy from the rest of the population. The Lords of Tide Water or the Plutocrats of the Plantation South depended on Tenant Farmers and slaves to create their Athenian Democracy. Allowing the masses to vote was not part of their master plan. Is still is not.
Our current primary contests are a fine example. The Republican elite financiers and bankers thought they could present the country with one of their insiders. They still do and they have rigged the convention, as well as spent countless dollars, to prevent a populist so called Republican from gaining the nomination. After decades od screwing the workers of America by sending good jobs overseas and destroying unions they are surprised that The Donald, no matter how absurd, is drawing the massive number of voters fed up with being abused by the Republican financial and political elites. They are desperately trying to prevent The Donald, and not incidentally, Senator Cruz, form gaining any real power. Either or both would be a disaster for the Party and the nation.
The Democratic elites are in the same fix. Their self anointed master manipulator Ms. Clinton worked for decades to finally become the President. She was thwarted by a populist Senator Obama who simply gathered more votes then the presumptive queen and became President. So Ms. Clinton set up a system of "super" delegates to prevent any repeat of her previous defeats. Senator Sanders showed up and, despite determined opposition by the press and her, is gathering a huge but insufficient number of delegates to stop Clinton. The Democratic primary is a form of Republic designed to thwart the will of the ordinary people in choosing their future president. Without the rigged system Ms. Clinton would be hammered.
This is only one of the reasons I distrust government from high school student council to the United Nations. They are all there to protect the wealth, exclusivity and power of the people that own them. The best most of us can hope for is to be consider valuable but expendable pawns.
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