Faith in the Federal Government
Sunday, July 08, 2007
I ran across an interesting article on CNN.com about the low opinion people have of both the President and Congress. The article points out that the President's approval rating is down near 30 percent and Congress is down near 25 percent. (The individual parties both rated higher, interestingly enough.)
So what's this about? Senator Jon Kyl is quoted as saying, "It is a sad commentary in America today that many Americans have lost faith in their government .... Americans don't believe that their government is representing them, is acting on their behalf. The polls show it." Well, I believe him. Can YOU name anyone who feels represented by the federal government?
Let's look at some potential reasons cited for this lack of faith:
1) The war in Iraq. This should be a no-brainer, since the current administration got us mired in it and lots of folks are dying for no real good reason.
2) The immigration bill. Well, this one doesn't bother me at all; I really just wish something would get done instead of having more partisan bickering.
With those reasons cited, let me add a few of my own for why I think the federal government is near-useless at the highest levels:
1) Lack of representation. Seriously. With all the partisan bickering and sniping, I really don't feel like anything is being done with we the people in mind.
2) Lack of freedom. It really feels like - at every level - the government is doing its best to erode the constitution and personal liberties and freedoms. Perhaps this relates to the previous entry.
Anyway, this is perhaps just another political rant but this survey shows that the average American - you, me, and the next guy - has lost a lot of faith in our elected officials. I would much rather see things get done than watch epic fights over constitutional power between Congress and the Executive Branch. I'd much rather see inefficiencies cut and responsibility to the people restored than watch a bunch of institutional politicians gear up for a presidential election that's still 15 months away. It's sickening, really.
So what's this about? Senator Jon Kyl is quoted as saying, "It is a sad commentary in America today that many Americans have lost faith in their government .... Americans don't believe that their government is representing them, is acting on their behalf. The polls show it." Well, I believe him. Can YOU name anyone who feels represented by the federal government?
Let's look at some potential reasons cited for this lack of faith:
1) The war in Iraq. This should be a no-brainer, since the current administration got us mired in it and lots of folks are dying for no real good reason.
2) The immigration bill. Well, this one doesn't bother me at all; I really just wish something would get done instead of having more partisan bickering.
With those reasons cited, let me add a few of my own for why I think the federal government is near-useless at the highest levels:
1) Lack of representation. Seriously. With all the partisan bickering and sniping, I really don't feel like anything is being done with we the people in mind.
2) Lack of freedom. It really feels like - at every level - the government is doing its best to erode the constitution and personal liberties and freedoms. Perhaps this relates to the previous entry.
Anyway, this is perhaps just another political rant but this survey shows that the average American - you, me, and the next guy - has lost a lot of faith in our elected officials. I would much rather see things get done than watch epic fights over constitutional power between Congress and the Executive Branch. I'd much rather see inefficiencies cut and responsibility to the people restored than watch a bunch of institutional politicians gear up for a presidential election that's still 15 months away. It's sickening, really.
posted by Burton at 11:37 AM
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