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How American Institutions Went From Trust to Bust
WSJ ^ | Sept. 8, 2023 | Gerard Baker

Posted on 09/12/2023 7:29:01 AM PDT by george76

At the heart of America’s political and cultural turmoil is a crisis of trust. In the space of a generation, the people’s confidence in their leaders and their most important institutions to do the right thing has collapsed. The federal government, big business, the media, education, science and medicine, technology, religious institutions, law enforcement and others have seen a precipitous decline.

As public faith in the performance, credibility and integrity of these institutions has collapsed, so too has mutual trust—the social glue that holds the country together. Americans have become suspicious of one another, distrusting their fellow citizens as much as they distrust foreign adversaries.

Think about the controversies that have played out in the past few years—allegations from both parties of stolen elections.. politically motivated federal law-enforcement decisions, questionable advice and mandates from public-health officials, news coverage that skews in one political direction, and ...

All reflect and exacerbate a climate of deep popular distrust. This rapid loss of confidence is startling and unprecedented. It has ominous implications for the cohesion, prosperity and even survival of the U.S.

...

Only two institutions, the military and small business, enjoy the confidence of a majority of Americans.

...

Perhaps more alarming is the decline in levels of trust Americans have toward each other.

...

Trusted administrations and lawmakers of both parties insisted they were controlling illegal immigration, even as the numbers streaming across the southern border grew year after year.

news organizations and commentators told Americans that the winning candidate in the 2016 presidential election worked with the Russian government to secure his election, a claim that proved false.

...

Only by restoring the primacy of the values that made America the most successful nation on earth will Americans again trust their leaders.

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: corruption; institutions; integrity; longmarch; trust; values
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1 posted on 09/12/2023 7:29:01 AM PDT by george76
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To: george76
Definitely don't need any lectures about being trustworthy from a journalist.

If the press had been doing its job all along instead of being buttboys for the Rats, this country would be in great shape.

2 posted on 09/12/2023 7:33:03 AM PDT by caddie (We must all become Trump, starting now!)
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To: george76

All part of Satan’s plan.


3 posted on 09/12/2023 7:33:45 AM PDT by nhbob1
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To: caddie
This is by design.

Breaking trust is the key to breaking and destroying system.

It is a win-win for the left.

4 posted on 09/12/2023 7:34:34 AM PDT by marktwain
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To: george76

Institutions can only function when those working in those institutions have honor. If you do what you think you can get away with, you can’t be trusted. If you think that it’s OK to screw over some groups of people, because you think they deserve it, you can’t be trusted.


5 posted on 09/12/2023 7:36:31 AM PDT by neverevergiveup
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To: neverevergiveup

“Institutions can only function when those working in those institutions have honor.”

Any organization is only as good as the worst psycho they tolerate among them.

L


6 posted on 09/12/2023 7:38:11 AM PDT by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: caddie

1. - Corruption

2. - Wokeness


7 posted on 09/12/2023 7:39:20 AM PDT by Iron Munro (An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes)
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To: george76
Only two institutions, the military and small business, enjoy the confidence of a majority of Americans.

Because they are overwhelmingly constituted by Freedom loving American loving conservative leaning people. Let's face it, the Left wants to and is destroying America because they hate America.

8 posted on 09/12/2023 7:41:26 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: george76

The WSJ, stout bastion of the political establishment, is complaining about this? Physician, heal thyself. I’d like to feel the corporate media sense that the way to re-establish a trust relationship is to become trustworthy, but in fact they’re far more prone to simply look for a more convincing spin than they are to report the truth. Shall we, for example, examine the WSJ’s treatment of J6 or perhaps the 2022 election results?


9 posted on 09/12/2023 7:42:52 AM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: george76

If they would STOP LYING to the public, then maybe they would begin to restore the trust they have lost.


10 posted on 09/12/2023 7:46:04 AM PDT by Pajamajan (Pray for our nation. Never be slave in a new Socialist America)
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To: george76

I don’t trust the military either. It has become another diversity cesspool.


11 posted on 09/12/2023 7:46:54 AM PDT by nwrep
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To: george76

Anything Un-Constitutional or against the United States Constitution & Family Values is a SCAM/FRAUD built on a lie of PEACE & NON-VIOLENCE.

And, people have been pacified using GANDHI (who was a most violent & racist person in the world).


12 posted on 09/12/2023 7:49:29 AM PDT by nick0786bazpur (2024: TRUMP or Nothing )
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To: 1Old Pro

As a former Navy person, I have no confidence in our present military. Between wokeism and strategy and planning by blithering idiots with blinders as to realities, careerism based upon huge acquistion projects and the insitutiionalization of “success” in fighting all the wrong kinds of wars we are in a world of hurt.


13 posted on 09/12/2023 7:53:59 AM PDT by AndyJackson
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To: Pajamajan

It’s gone so far they need to fire all the liars first, then maybe not lying any more will help.

But if they keep the same inveterate liars it won’t matter if they never tell a single lie again, we still would not be able to trust them.


14 posted on 09/12/2023 7:54:59 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: george76

Mass media coverage led to heightened expectations which led to heightened demands without the necessary heightened opportunities.

The mass military service of WWII instilled a sense of camaraderie and trust in millions of American men which carried over into all American life.

This has slowly faded away as they slowly faded away.


15 posted on 09/12/2023 7:56:22 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer” )
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To: george76

The press and media have been hiring government bureaucrats and their relatives for 20 years now. Our information offered to the public is a work product of the Beltway bureaucrats, it has very little to do with newsworthy events. It has everything to do with the grip of authoritarian government and their powerful friends and family.


16 posted on 09/12/2023 7:56:45 AM PDT by blackdog ((Z28.310) My dog Sam eats purple flowers.)
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To: george76

The Cultural Marxists took them all over.


17 posted on 09/12/2023 7:57:14 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: AndyJackson
I have no confidence in our present military

Because as you say, it's deteriorating and like minded people are also avoiding joining.

18 posted on 09/12/2023 7:57:49 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: Pajamajan

they dont care

the commies have control of the institutions

now they are solidifying their political control


19 posted on 09/12/2023 7:57:50 AM PDT by joshua c (to disrupt the system, we must disrupt our lives, cut the cable tv)
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To: blueunicorn6

Hard Times Make Good Men
Good Men Make Good Times
Good Times Make Weak Men
Weak Men Make Hard Times


20 posted on 09/12/2023 7:58:23 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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