Posted on 06/18/2015 7:00:33 AM PDT by HomerBohn
It’s not difficult to see that the foundation is crumbling…
A new Gallup poll has found that already low “confidence” in our system of government, our economy, the media, banking, big business, religious institutions and watchdogs is further eroding.
“Americans’ confidence in most major U.S. institutions remains below the historical average for each one,” a Gallup spokesman said in a news release.
[…]
All in all, it’s a picture of a nation discouraged about its present and worried about its future, and highly doubtful that its institutions can pull America out of its trough.
There is plenty of good reason, with evidence uncovered daily, weekly and consistently throughout the years of the hypocrisy and failures of government, the failed promises of politicians, the lies and spin of the mainstream media and newspapers, the greed and exploitation of the financial sector and the “just us” mentality of above-the-law enforcers who are supposed to uphold justice.
Just check out how little faith remains in the structure of, well, just about any institution in America, by the numbers:
Only 8 percent have confidence in Congress, down by 16 points from a long-term average of 24 percent – the lowest of all institutions rated.
33 percent have confidence in the presidency, a drop from a historical average of 43 percent.
32 percent have confidence in the Supreme Court, down from 44.
28 percent have confidence in banks, down from 40 percent.
21 percent have confidence in big business, down from 24 percent.
24 percent have confidence in organized labor, down from 26.
24 percent have confidence in newspapers, down from 32 percent.
21 percent have confidence in television news, down from 30 percent.
52 percent of Americans […] are confident in the police [57 percent historically]
What else can be said, but that the system is broken?
Obviously it bears little resemblance to the one envisioned by the founding fathers and their emphasis on separation of powers and limited government.
None of the three branches of government are trusted by even close to a majority of the American populace… maybe that’s to be expected, with frequent media criticisms of political figures in a polarizing two party system.
But other pillars of society have lost their backing of the public, too – in astonishing numbers that show not only that the American dream is dead, but that private institutions are widely perceived as being just as corrupt as public ones (or worse).
To top it off – this perception is entirely deserved. The aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis consolidated the power and wealth of the big banks, and gave the Federal Reserve ultimate power over the economy, while average Americans suffered greatly.
Scandal after scandal revealed that corruption for what it is.
Media scandals – such as Brian Williams’ fabricated war zone stories and George Stephanopoulos’ attempt to conceal his conflicts of interest with the Clinton Foundation – have left a bad taste in the mouth of media consumers already facing fake news indigestion.
The factors are piling up beyond our capacity to excuse them away: fatigue from endless wars and threats of terrorism; cynically-false promises of hope and change; the repeated, brazen trampling of civil rights; a sharp decline of opportunity at the hands of economic recession; trade deals written in secret to enrich corporations; the rise of job-crushing technology and more have all sapped at the American spirit.
Whether most Americans follow these developments or not, they instinctually sense them. No one trustworthy is steering this ship – worse, no one may be at the wheel at all.
Who or what can turn things around?
That remains to be seen, but few will be willing to buy into the system if it remains on course.
The loss of confidence in the system ultimately relates to the loss of confidence in the freedom of the individual.
It is strong-willed and determined people who have always made this country, and any other, strong and vibrant.
The constant detriment of individual rights and the endless calls to transfer power to the collective – whether inside or outside of government – is the real source of the problem that this Gallup poll reflects.
Our best hope at a better world should start there. Is it still possible?
They broke the system because they don’t like it,it doesn’t serve their agenda. The rest of us let them do it by ignoring what is going on and it may be too late to correct it.
With our debt and lack of will to correct we’ll probably collapse from within.
But why make these cretins happy?
Kinda like what happened to the old soviet union.
How much faith do people have in the institutions of Chicago?
Isn’t this headline one of the Alinsky program goals in taking down the USA??
yes, and even more so: Cloward Piven.
All is proceeding according to the plan to “fundamentally transform” this nation.
Did author miss “surveillance of citizens” and “targetting of taxpayer groups”?
Yup. A perfect storm for those who wish to tear down the existing society and begin constructing their Brave New Utopian World upon the ashes.
The institutions from the universities to the kindergartens, to the Audubon society to the Presbyterian Church to the Pope have been infiltrated and captured from within by the left wing.
Essentially there are few if any American organizations untouched or un captured. Those that were born to counter the effort were killed by the likes of Lois Lerner. She and many others must be eradicated from their positions and ostracized into oblivion. Such trash have no place in real America.
Loss of trust in religious clergy.
Loss in the belief that your vote counts.
Government assault on religious freedom.
Assault on the belief that a basic family is a mother, father, and child.
Decades of NEA malfeasance have given us ‘leadership’, public officials, teachers, ‘journalists’, politicians, writers, apathetic and near moronic voters, etc. who are incompetent and idiots.
With the dummy MSM (a double edge blade here) ITSELF intellectually, ethically and academically deficient... the stupid and corrupt ‘leaders’ are TWICE as easily GOT and KEPT in positions they are incapable of either properly or efficiently fulfilling.
Distrusting our institutions? .... Yea!!
...those who wish to tear down the existing society and begin constructing their Brave New Utopian World upon the ashes.
And for similar reasons. The USSR collapsed under its political weight, and that was baked into the original design. We have a better system, as written, but it's overburdened with too many cooks in the political and regulatory areas.
We used to have a more or less honest press (something the Soviets killed early), but that's pretty damaged, too. You can believe in the system design while lamenting the current state of its implementation.
DemocRATs have destroyed all of them.
why do you thnk they are going after the guns.... and spying on us..?? and runing practice military law drills and have fema camps..??
Diversity did not make America great.
ADVERSITY made America great.
Now, everything is run like the DMV and we are supposed to smile as we are shoved aside in the nation our forefathers built, in favor of primitive 3rd worlders.
My thought is let’s get this CW started while we still have a chance at winning.
We are fast approaching a tipping point where victory is simply not possible any longer.
“The loss of confidence in the system ultimately relates to the loss of confidence in the freedom of the individual.”
I don’t get the connection. Is it my OBS (Old Brain Syndrome?
No way we can “pull the country out of the trough” with half of the country pushing as hard as they can to keep it there, or worse.
Republicrats are the Democrats’ enablers.
A third party would kick this one party system in the ass!
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