Why do people not trust the American government?

Answer 1

Because it's untrustworthy. People tend to not trust people who repeatedly lie to you.

Answer 2

Well guys, I'm only 14 but I'll give this a crack. I think people do not trust the American government because even though they are not a dictatorship there are still many biases and hidden secrecy. The CIA has been overthrowing world governments for a while now, probably the most notable being the Iranian Revolution, placing pinoche in power overthrowing throwing Allende, 8 assassination attempts on Castro and playing a major roll in the Guatemalan genocide. They hide so many secrets in order to give the illusion that they have more power and never explain their motives and scandals are popping up everywhere. Such as how the war on Iraq was planning pre-election of George W. Bush's second term in office. Overall, I think that in recent years people have really started to lose hope with the government, the war in Iraq has been devastating and is stuck in limbo, while not much is going in Afghanistan. America just sometimes interferes with international affairs a little too much. Trust comes down to give and take. The government took funding for iraq but gave back a war torn country and brought about civil war.

Answer 3

Well, people do not trust the American government for many reasons. There are too many to list, but I will try to delve into a two. The American government is not known for being honest. The entire history of the government is plagued with scandal and corruption. Watergate, 911, and so many other incidents force people to take notice to what is really going on. The government does things that it should not do. Oh, people are tired of the government systematically taking away too many of the basic civil liberties that were drawn out by the founding fathers. America is changing and people are afraid of that.

Answer 4

All you have to do is watch the media around any election time, and you'll see exactly why.

Our (American) politicians are shameless and pathetic in their ambition. They will say whatever they can think of to discredit their opponent to win votes. They embarrass an entire country to get and spend millions of dollars to call each other liars, cheats, frauds, and enemies of the people. One half of the government tells the people not to trust the other half while the other half is doing exactly the same thing. Our government isn't what it's supposed to be, and it hasn't been for a very long time.

Why don't people trust the government?

Because the government isn't about the people anymore.

Answer 5

I can only use our own history to answer your question. Going
back as far as I have read and studied are some of the reasons:

1. Breaking of numerous contracts and settlements with the Indians.
2. Incarcerating thousands of Americans of any Japanese blood during WWII whereby they lost their homes, jobs and lived in inhumane conditions.
3. Watergate - whereby President Nixon illegally tapped the Democratic Headquarters.
4. President Gerald Ford pardoning Nixon who the entire country knew should have gone to prison.
5. The illegal storming of a family's home by the FBI killing a mother and son. Father won lawsuit, was paid monies, but is still without a wife and son.
6. Let's not forget the perjury by President Clinton who lied to the people, irregardless of anything else, when he uttered, "I had no sexual relations with that....".
7. And the latest big one is by our recent President Bush who brought us into the Iraq War by regurgitating the words "weapons of mass destruction".
8. The constant abuse and misuse of hard-earned tax dollars taken from the average American citizen.

I am sure I have missed quite a bit, but believe I've answered the question. I just keep praying the American people will wake up and start removing some of the unnecessary bureaucracy that is robbing our citizens of a better life and put into office people who have stronger morals and fiber than the ones we've had for too long.

Answer 6

Simple. They are constantly being bombarded by a very anti government media along with the ravings of the agnostic atheist anti religion zealots that are trying to turn this once wonderful world in to another Sodom and Gomorrah. Here in this country there are those that are hell bent and Devil driven to destroy our time tested constitution. In the rest of the world the Neo-socialists are working for their one world order, hence the EURO, while the Islamic fanatics are trying to turn the clock back several millennia.

Answer 7

No sane person trusts their government. And Americans are sane and independent. The government works for us and we need to keep an eye on them. ALL the time.!

Answer 8

because people are stupid, and are to busy watching t.v, or doing some other pointless task, not watching the world pass them by why they are talking relentlessly on their cellphone. I am sorry to live in a nation in which more people vote for the next "American Idol", than they do for their own president...

Answer 9

Because they can. Vague? Well, democracy is the ability to publicly criticize the government. This exercise, sometimes solely symbolic, is done to complete the context of a free society.

Answer 10

There is too much special interest having control over the government but thats the nature of the beast.

Answer 11

Because in one quick aspect we could be the greatest country in the world. In another a real witch.