It seems like nowadays a politician can tell you that the moon is made of plastic and people will believe it without saying a word, is'nt it American to have a healthy suspicion of our government. After all, it's not like politicians never lied.
2006-06-26 18:36:46 · 10 answers · asked by JoeThatUKnow 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.
~Theodore Roosevelt
2006-06-26 18:42:17 · answer #1 · answered by Muddy 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First off, you ask a good question. I am glad you are thinking about this topic because for some reason, I get the feeling that people have really become sheep in the past 20 years and I really have some problems with the notion that George Bush is a shepherd.
Second of all, I don't think politicians lie. I think candidates for office lie. I think they tell you what they think you want to hear so that you will vote for them. and they can tell a lobbyist or a philanthropist or a campaign contributor the total bassackward opposite to get what they want from them. I think that candidates are flaky flaks.
Politicians negotiate with each other. They compromise with each other. At that stage of the game, it isn't lying. It is compromise. And compromise sure is a lot more civilized that the groveling and buttkissing they do when they are running for office.
A politician is someone who is elected to public service. If he hasn't been elected, he isn't a politician. Ralph Nader and the Rev. Jesse Jackson both ran for President in the past. Neither of them is a politician. Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate and Jesse Jackson is a minister.
In his role as head of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean is not a politician. And Laura Bush is not a politician. A politician is someone who is elected and who serves in an elected capacity.
You have to make a distinction between someone who is serving and who is running for office.
When it is election time and they are talking trash to the public, to the lobbyists, the PACs and to the press, they are CANDIDATES. They are not acting as politicians in their roles as candidates.
It is healthy to have a distrust for government. It is healthy to have a distrust for bureaucracy, too. Whenever everyone rushes to judgment and climbs on a bandwagon, that is a certain sign that there isn't any foresight involved.
A good example of that is the frenzy that took place a couple of years ago when everyone rushed to judge Bill Clinton. People were furious with his conduct. It was on the news all over the world what happened. And the world actually watched while the American press and politicians laid out a case for impeachment against him. Third world countries, and especially the Middle East, thought the news coverage was sinful They were seriously upset by the fact that the United States, under the guise of news, was promulgating pornography on television.
In the end, the impeachment didn't result in removal from office.
See the problem for the rest of the world here?
2006-06-27 01:48:09 · answer #2 · answered by Roseknows 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There's a ton of people now a days who distrust the government. I mean how can we trust the government when they don't even help us with things like the illegals. And with all the scandals even more people distrust the gov.
2006-06-27 01:41:20 · answer #3 · answered by Ryan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say that most people I encounter lately have more than a "Healty" distrust for our Government. It is evolving to "hate" for our Gov't. Oh, by the way, I thought the Moon was made of cheese..
2006-06-27 01:42:45 · answer #4 · answered by gypsyworks 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's exactly what's happening in this country! Except I think it's more the media than the politicians...
" FrontPage Magazine: You make the shrewd observation of how political correctness engenders evil because of “the violence that it does to people’s souls by forcing them to say or imply what they do not believe, but must not question.” Can you talk about this a bit?
Theodore Dalrymple: Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, nor to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is to co-operate with evil, and in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to. "
click this link if you want to read more...
http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2006/06/political-correctness-revenge-of.html
2006-06-27 01:38:53 · answer #5 · answered by tripforyou 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The essence of a democratic government is its citizens' abilities to voice their opinions and protests. Americans are who they are because of the ability to criticize elected officials' judgments and actions, but bear in mind that elected officials are also adhere to the opinions and well being of their constituents. Therefore, it is only healthy to distrust the government, because the burden of responsibility of their actions also, in part, belongs to us.
2006-06-27 01:55:23 · answer #6 · answered by HH 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A healthy distrust in government? nothing wrong with holding um accountable.
2006-06-27 01:41:43 · answer #7 · answered by James H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's very healthy.
No one should trust a government, it is better to keep a small government that the people have control of. This is why I am Conservative and not Liberal. Liberals believe in high taxes and a bigger government.
2006-06-27 01:40:06 · answer #8 · answered by Boob 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thank god! I thought that opinion was dead. Of course I live in Utah, so everyone here just blindly follows whatever the media (as in FOX "News") says. Yes, we need to challenge our leaders and try to think for ourselves. We have been the laughing stock of the world for too long (whats it been, seven years now?).
2006-06-27 01:41:27 · answer #9 · answered by scottie2h2004 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
how do you know the moon isnt made of plastic
i as well have a strong distrust for our government
though my therapist says it is unhealthy
but i suspect that she is ...
ohh crap she's watching me
we never had this conversation!
2006-06-27 01:41:00 · answer #10 · answered by thine_eyes_bleed 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋