Aren't people SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE their Government?

Question

I think the most dangerous and damaging legacy of the Bush Administration (something that will have even greater consequences than the Iraq war) is the complete distrust of Government by ordinary people. Many people (the majority) tend to take whatever anybody in Government says with a pinch of salt, or immediately question it. Even if it turns out to be true.
Aren't people SUPPOSED TO believe their Government?
Your thoughts?

Answer 1

I've always questioned the government's credibility on the belief scale to some extent, but some eras are worse than others. Nixon for example, and yep I'm that old. Watergate made me a permanent cynic. But I recovered somewhat during Reagan and Clinton. I wasn't much moved by the impeachment. Being the cynic I am I just didn't find it that unnerving that a man, even the President, would lie under oath to hide adultery from his wife. Most men I know would do the same and not even think twice about it. But back to the subject.

George Bush has once again moved me to the most extreme corner of political cynicism. Everyone can list all their facts from either side about this war, but my gut tells me all I need to know about it. We were shocked and shaken to our core as a nation by 9/11. We, and that includes our Congress, looked to our President for guidance and put our complete trust in his decision making abilities. Not an unusual way for a country to react after what happened. And the way I see it he took that trust and used it to pursue his own obsession with Iraq, when he needed to concentrate on those who actually planned and ordered 9/11. Honestly, I think for me, it is even worse than Watergate and the damage that it did to this country's perception of our government. It's going to be a long time before I, and millions of other Americans, ever completely trust any President to make decisions about war without a more convincing argument than manipulated intelligence.

Answer 2

No, definitely never believe the government no matter what. They are simply "politically correct", but never "morally correct". There's a big difference there. I personally put my belief in God first. If I see that my government is acting in way that is very much the opposite of God's Word and the scriptures (which is usually the case), then I feel I have a moral responsibility to question the government. I harbor suspicions about 9/11 and Iraq because I'm a Christian, and we're supposed to stand against aggression, imperialism, racism, persecution of the innocent, elitism, and anything that hurts people. Yet our political leaders claim to be Christian as well, and still continue to champion these evil things. So no, we shouldn't put credence into anything the government tells us.

Answer 3

I think that the most dangerous and damaging legacy of any administration is complete trust of Government of ordinary people. This system was designed for checks and balances to check and make sure the system is balanced. To just trust, with out asking why, is the biggest fault we can make. No we are NOT supposed to believe our government. That's why our founding fathers built this nation, so that we have the freedom to question the government, amongst other freedoms.

Answer 4

What on earth made you think that? People should not be afraid of their government, governments should be afraid of their people.

The framers knew that power was dangerous and corrupting, which is why so many checks are built in.

Thus, we SHOULD take with a grain of salt what our leaders tell us. The media should play a role as the fourth estate, questioning and challenging the leadership across the board for proof of every statement or allegation. Sunshine is the best disinfectant...knowledge builds trust. When things are kept private and secret (beyond what we feel is a legitimate need for security) we should be concerned.

Answer 5

At the current level of human evolution, no, you should not believe your government. Most human beings in "modern" civilization act of out of their OWN self-interests, and not out of the common good.

So what makes you think human beings that work in government are any different???? They act out of their own self-interest, just like everybody else.

Does ANYONE on this board serve the people??? I'm sure some do, but they are the few - not the many. So if very few of us ordinary folk serve the common good of the people, why would our leaders in government be any different??? The governments we have, are a reflection of ourselves.

Do you trust your boss (or any corporate leader) to act in the best interests of all? To always tell you the truth?? If no, then why would you expect government leaders to be different??

Answer 6

George Bush is not the singular cause of this (although he has continued it). Mistrust of government, or a general cynicism as to government, has been the norm in America since Johnson, and has been proven to be a proper attitude from the actions of every President and congress since.

You should not delude yourself into thinking the next "mighty crusader" of either party is going to be any different.

Answer 7

Of course not. Again lets look that legacy Bush will leave. It is not all bad. He was the man that stepped up to 911. He was the man that started the war we are in now. He is the man that left Louisiana struggling (as if they did not do enough to themselves, btw I'm from South Louisiana) and left people on rooftops and did not care. He is the man that cant speak his own words or read the teleprompter right.

George W. Bush is also the man that is our President. For that we should respect him. He is doing what he thinks is best. He is wishing a better life for those in Iraq and trying to do his best for our troops that are already involved. It is too late to pull the plug.

I am a liberal, but I stand behind our President. I have not always and will not always. I do now. For that I respect him. No I don't believe our Government all the time. At the same time if they told all the truth most would not be able to handle it. They would riot like scared chickens.

Answer 8

Put simply, there are billions and billions of dollars at stake. I would not trust any entity, Government, individual or corporation to be principled enough to "do the right thing" in the climate we have. This is especially true given that it is so easy to dupe the people with well-honed rhetoric.

(Like trickle-down.....If I give money to rich people, it will miraculously trickle down to the poor people. And some poor and middle class people actually believed it!)

Answer 9

People should be able to TRUST their government.
Bush has showed the people that it can't be trusted.
This administration has no clue what honor and integrity are, just look at his advisors.
Hopefully some good will come of this raping of our system.
Often times, it takes a disaster to bring about a positive change.

Answer 10

While you can carry anything--including healthy skepticism--too faar, I believe one positive outcome of the Bush presidency is that Americans are being reminded of the view of our founding fathers:

"government in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one"
--Thomas Paine.

People SHOULD NOT trust the government. Our forefathers knew this--and its time we remembered it.