TRUST IN GOVERNMENT – WHERE IS IT?

Something that has been bothering me a lot lately is “trust” in government.  It seems from my perspective at least that the American people have lost faith that our government (at whatever level) has the interests of the American people as the first priority.  From my conversations with others, reading the variety of blogs/news and watching various broadcast news casts that there is a lack of both trust or respect for the leadership we have elected to lead us.

The view from the underside  (where I am) is that the politicians are paying more attention to the needs of special interest groups (you mean it hasn’t always been that way?) than to the needs of the majority of Americans.  Them that have the money and power are loath to improve the plight of Main Street, unless it is affecting their bottom line.

The conservatives are lined up on one side of the aisle and the liberals on the other, moderates are in short supply and leaders that are willing to compromise appear to be in even shorter supply.  Ideology is reigning supreme instead of our leaders listening to what actually needs to be done in this country that will benefit the largest number of Americans, not simply the special interest groups.  The Ivory Tower effect has been the operating status for far too long in America.

President-elect Obama is using the social media and internet to reach out to the “masses” and allowed them to at least provide a comment on what we perceive is happening out here on Main Street, but he has not taken the oath yet, and his ideas are unproven in today’s “new” political climate.  But many progressives and liberals are saying that he is not prepared to “pushback” the Bush years hard enough or fast enough.  He isn’t liberal enough.

The conservatives are still in a power hangover, they have had a long time of doing what they wanted and are now worried that their power will wane considerably if Obama and the progressive/liberal agenda does “too” well.  Therefore, from all accounts they appear to be on their way to being obstructionist to anything the new administration tries.  

This might be a “great” political strategy to regain their power base after all the popular election was only 51% to 49% – not what you could call an overwhelming majority (even though the previous administration didn’t even have that the first time).  But how does this affect Main Street?  I don’t believe that the conservatives actually care as long as they retain their power and control.  They want to continue dribble down economic theory, use secretly signed executive orders and other non-public measures to “control” the masses.

I called for bi-partisanship in a previous post and I really would like to see it work, but for it to work both parties have to be willing to talk, compromise and put the public good ahead of the special interest groups.  I really don’t see that happening in the present political climate.  Although I hope that I am wrong.

The liberal/progressive agenda is not what everyone want and I vehemently disagree with more than some of it.  I believe in the Second Amendment very strongly, that people should work for what they get and many other things that do not make me a true liberal.  I am in the moderate camp with conservative leanings.  

For this Country to get back on its feet, the first thing that MUST happen is that we make the Federal governmnent more transparent.  Publish schedules, agendas, meetings, tell who was there, what was discussed,what options were presented,  how decisions were reached, we as Americans deserve an open government.  I understand that it can’t be completely transparent, I am not that naive, there are things that cannot be discussed for public consumption, but they also do not need to be hidden after the events are over.

Politicians of any age do not like to have their decisions questioned or publized especially when they have made mistakes.  The days of secretly running this country must end, we must open it up.

So Mr. Obama, I hope that you keep to your pledge of making my government more transparent to all Americans, not just a few special interest groups and wealthy patrons.  That will restore trust in government more quickly than anything else.  We understand that you will make mistakes, but hiding behind classifying those mistakes would be an even bigger mistake.