Trust in Institutions
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-05-26/trust-institutions
New polls suggest voters have lost faith in both institutions and ideologies: What a broad lack of confidence in Congress, banks, big business and the Supreme Court could mean for the American political landscape.
Guests
Jerry Seib
executive Washington editor, "The Wall Street Journal."
Andrew Kohut
director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
E.J. Dionne Jr.
senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, Washington Post columnist, and author of "Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics After the Religious Right" and of "Stand Up Fight Back."
Comments
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That's a wonderful choice of photos to illustrate this topic!
Can it be that even the most techno-savy administration, that being the current administration, have not been able to get their messaging and responses out in front of the fast moving media environment. Today, due consideration appears to be dithering, reason appears to be weakness, and the first word in the media ends up being the conventional wisdom and last word on the subject.
I think it is telling that the one institution that no one is willing to talk about is the press. The 4th estate is part of the equation, and a discussion of 3/4 of the power structure is no discussion at all. Address the elephant in the room!
Sincerely,
Christopher French
Watermill, NY
Classes divided: The poor have fewer resources and must rely more on the government than richer citizens. The rich want to remain that way.
In debating politics with my family and friends, I have found that we agree to a large extent about WHAT services we desire from our government--where we truly differ is paying taxes. Not every person or corporation is willing to contribute an equal proportion of their resources toward the services used by our families and communities. This is because people with more would have to contribute more, especially if we all contribute proportionally; no one wants to part with more than necessary, out of self-service.
The analysis from the guests seems shallow today. People have lost trust in institutions, because institutions have failed them. Large corporations and the interests of the wealthy have completely taken over the government and all of our other institutions.
Income inequality is rising and people are suffering. When people are indebted and sick and imprisoned and families can't seem to keep the basics of a middle class lifestyle, why should they have any faith in institutions? When people are scared and suffering, the elites use that fear to turn them against each other and that's what's going on in this country. White people against brown, poor against the very poor, women against men . . . it should be the people against the oligarchs.
a lot of americans are not suspicious, they are just realistic. they approach institutions and individuals with a healthy skepticism. what do they want? what do they need to continue to have what they want? some people have good motives, some are more selfish. the biggest hurdle americans face to being in control of their fates is the unfortunate lack of education and sophistication most of us have when in comes to politics. we get mad because we don't know how the system works. the anti-govenrment pro-medicare example sums it up. the solution? better instruction in economics and civics? better leadership that is willing to say, "grow up and get your terms right (big isn't the problem, corrupt is)"? the people we hear complaining are the ones who don't read reasonable news analysis and don't think for themselves. what are you going to do about basic american human nature and the willingness of many to be lead by the nose -- and their fears and prejudices -- and not think for themselves?
The USSR fell once their citizens realized that they were not living in a communist state. Now, without that mindset as ballast, citizens of the American empire are realizing that they don't live in a democratic state (more of a democratistic' state).
The solution is to combine the two impossible ideals into one that works on solving problems and bringing people together - vote sizing.
Most definitely, the 4th estate is part of the problem. I have next to no faith in the Media..
Steve, I fully agree with your assessment.
In fact, for anyone who is not so ill informed, illiterate of political economics, or merely stupid, there is no plausible reason not to be aware that all this public frustration and angst at; government, banks, corporations, the media, and the foreign policy/war establishment is anything except the pressures of a ruling-elite global corporate/financial/militarist Empire which fully controls our country (and many others like the UK and Israel).
The only excuse , other than lack of knowledge or intelligence for being blind to your obvious conclusion, Steve, would be that any speakers or writers who do not acknowledge this are literally 'in the bag' and working a deceitful propagandists for the global Empire.
I wrote the following to C-Span when their Washington Journal had the Pew's Carroll Doherty on as a guest to discuss the same poll results:
"It seems quite clear to me why 80% of American citizens feel distrust of
government --- although real polling to uncover the real CAUSE of this
massive distrust is not polled for, and not spoken about at all.
Citizens clearly and rightly sense that they have no part in "participation
in power" --- which is the only true meaning of democracy itself.
Although this real reason for distrust in a government --- which is not by
any means the 'self-government' that America promises --- is a taboo subject
for both the media and polling firms, all average citizens can instinctively
'feel' that the government is not THEIR democracy anymore, but something
else.
An increasing number of outstanding intellectuals, authors, academics, and
political philosophers recently have come to the very same conclusion
supporting and describing what average citizens merely 'feel' --- and their
conclusion is precisely that the form of government actually operating in
'our' country today is, by a wide measure of characteristics, not any longer
a functioning democracy, but has morphed into a quiet and disguised version
of another classical form of government, Empire.
Naturally this conclusion of leading academics is not allowed to be broadly
shared with the general public, and in fact, the very mention of the term
'empire' is the most taboo word in public media discussion of government.
But notwithstanding this media censoring of such disucssion, the reality
that our government is now, by all serious measures of government structure,
much more characteristic of empire than democracy is uncontrovertable by any
serious discussion.
Naturally, the functional ruling-elite corporate/financial/militarist Empire
which actually prevails and holds all power in this supposed democracy will
not suffer any suggestion of this reality to even be mentioned. let alone
seriously broached, discussed, polled, nor certainly debated publically, the
facts of this reality quite accurately and precisely EXPLAIN the mood and
growing anger of the citizens.
Perhaps a polling firm as renowned as Pew, will also be willing to show
itself equally renowned for candor and truth in polling on this critical
issue ---- "Do you feel like you are living in a real popular democracy, or
is all power being exercised by some vague ruling-elite as if America were
actually a form of empire?"
The panel failed to discuss why government is failing the American people. Good public policy whether it’s energy, health care, pharmaceutical legislation, defense procurement or financial regulation is almost impossible to achieve because of campaign donations and lobbyist gifts. Lawrence Lessig’s article in The Nation discusses the need for publicly-funded elections, a seven-year ban on former members serving as lobbyists, and a constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to regulate campaign finance.
How to Get Our Democracy Back
If You Want Change, You Have to Change Congress
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100222/lessig
Fix Congress First
http://action.change-congress.org/pages/about
I found it distressing that, unless I missed it, no one who partook in this discussion even mentioned a simple, if partial, solution to many of the deficit problems we currently face: raise taxes, especially on the middle class. Unfortunately, what is necessary isn't politically popular. Most citizens -- myself included -- don't like paying taxes, and many of these citizens probably wouldn't vote for a candidate that suggested raising tax rates. That's the fault of good-old common citizens, really, many of whom seem to want to have their cake and eat it, too. People say they can't afford higher taxes, but they say this while their smaller families are sitting in homes that are twice as large on average as they were fifty years ago. People say they want less government, but want much of the regulation that government provides to continue.
Despite the cries of the "taxed enough already" crowd, tax rates are currently very low in historical context. Why do I say that middle class tax rates in particular should be raised? Basic fairness, really. The wealthiest five percent already pay a huge percentage of all taxes collected. Additionally, many people also see that they are in, say, the 28% tax bracket and don't realize that means that they probably pay about 15% of their total income in income tax, as the 28% is both a marginal rate and based on taxable rather than gross income.
In any case, a certain brand of conservative seems to have won this battle quite soundly. One member of the panel taking part in this discussion seemed to indicate that the ONLY way to balance budgets is to cut programs. Tax increases weren't even mentioned as an option. Due to the very successful rhetoric of certain subset of conservatives, tax increases are effectively no longer on the political table. Most moderates and even many liberals (including President Obama) have lost their backbones and given in. It's sad, really. The aforementioned rhetoric simply plays on people's ignorance.
We have lost faith because big government socialism has failed in every experiment ever tried. Look at the most recent examples of Greece and Venezuela. Venezuela, rich in oil has a 45% poverty rate. Unemployment is rampant as private industry has been shut down. In Greece, the masses have been hypnotized int believing they can have something for nothing. It is not too late for America. Let responsible citizenship re-emerge and close down our Government institutions that have proven to be failures. We should start with the Department of anti-education.
Mgear, some of this makes sense, except that as the number of voting citizens who gain more from taxes than those who pay in taxes reach and exceed 50% that will change. Then, you will see total failure of our system.
You do realize there was a huge argument with our founding fathers over who should have the right to vote. Many believed it should be limited to property-holder; those with a vested interest in the success of the country, not the exploitation.
Finally, why is it OK for the government to spend beyond it's means when we, as individuals, cannot. We should cut spending, not more taxes.
This was a great show Diane--it educated and I believe that is the media's responsibility. I am tired of the gothcha reporters that are trying to make matters worse to enhance their own careers by asking that one question that tears us apart even more as a nation. My husband hates the media--says it is a cancer! Media may be the most powerful institution these days and it certainly is not preceived as a trusted body.