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Government Corruption Tops List of Americans’ Fears

George Washington's picture




 

Time reports:

Corruption of government officials is currently Americans’ number one fear, according to a recent survey by researchers at Chapman University.

 

The researchers asked a random sample of 1,541 adults to rate the level of fear for 88 different fear options across a variety of domains (like crime and natural disasters). Based on their findings, here were the top 10 fears for 2015:

  • Corruption of government officials (58.0%)
  • Cyber-terrorism (44.8%)
  • Corporate tracking of personal information (44.6%)
  • Terrorist attacks (44.4%)
  • Government tracking of personal information (41.4%)
  • Bio-warfare (40.9%)
  • Identity theft (39.6%)
  • Economic collapse (39.2%)
  • Running out of money in the future (37.4%)
  • Credit card fraud (36.9%)

Last month, Gallup found that 75% of Americans said they believe corruption is widespread in the government (up from 66% percent in 2009).

Also last month, Gallup found that a record low 38% of Americans trust the government to handle domestic problems. And half of Americans think that the government is an immediate threat to us.

We at Washington’s Blog are non-partisan and non-dogmatic. We don’t believe that government is inherently good or inherently bad.  We instead believe that each government has to be analyzed to determine its degree of honesty or corruption.

Unfortunately, it is T-H-O-R-O-U-G-H-L-Y documented  that systemic corruption has destroyed America … as admitted by politicians on both sides of the political aisle.

(Sadly, America is not alone … governments worldwide are sliding down into mud pits of corruption.)

Postscript:  Mainstream politicians and media are trying to browbeat Americans into trusting our government more. For example, Time Magazine tries to make fun of Americans who don’t trust the government … by comparing them to people who believe in  aliens and the paranormal.

Likewise, Obama frequently chides Americans for distrusting their government.

But we Americans don’t trust our government because our government has repeatedly demonstrated through its actions that it is corrupt and untrustworthy.

 

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Thu, 10/15/2015 - 07:37 | 6670212 Secret Weapon
Secret Weapon's picture

Yes. It is corrupt. Government is a magnet for sociopathic and psychopathic individuals.  Read the book "Political Ponerology" for a deeper understanding of this issue.  Basically, psychopaths push out the good people from government. This is why civilizations fail. 

Fri, 10/16/2015 - 21:55 | 6677841 Trogdor
Trogdor's picture

Government is a magnet for sociopathic and psychopathic individuals.  Read the book "Political Ponerology" for a deeper understanding of this issue

It is a good book, but MAN is it a slog to read through - the language is very "academic" - not a very pleasant read (doubly-so when considering the subject).  It's really too bad as the information is valuable - but it becomes inaccessible to the "less-determined" reader.  They need a Cliff Notes :)

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 20:52 | 6673567 jeff montanye
jeff montanye's picture

so are all institutions, not least of which are private corporations which offer so much more immediate remuneration.

the idea is to make countervailing forces and reward the corporations for legal profits and the prosecutors for catching them at illegal ones, etc. etc. etc. 

it is the collusion of corporation and government (and in the u.s. case an additional foreign government, israel) that brings most of the problem.

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 22:54 | 6673888 SofaPapa
SofaPapa's picture

Excellent point.  It's not "government" per se.  It's large organizations in which psychopaths can hide their personal behavior.  Corporations (most especially "public" corporations - now there's a nice euphemism for "non-accountable monstrosities") absolutely enable this every bit as much as do governments.  We cannot neglect one of the prime forces arrayed against us.

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 03:55 | 6670046 Aquarius
Aquarius's picture

Your naivity reeks of "Policitical Correctness", which just tips the scales to "worse" (see below).

Read your History.

As one of the famous Beatles said in an interview:

'In an election it doesn't make any difference who you vote for as government always wins.' paraphrased.'

Government is either by nature, bad, dishonest and corrupt to the core, or worse. And, Totalitarian control is always, a priori, its preference.

"We don’t believe that government isinherently good or inherently bad.  We instead believe that each government has to be analyzed to determine its degree of honesty or corruption.

 

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 09:20 | 6670592 jwoop66
jwoop66's picture

"read your history", then you quote the beatles?!~

 

Not sure what your point is, unless, as the post below mentions, you're distinguishing between govt and "the state".  

 

Who cares?   They may be different, but their mode of implimentation and effect is the same - govt power.    If govt were limited, as founded in the US, govt/state would not control--say... "healthcare", other than as a legal entity to settle disputes and/or administer justice to lawbreakers.   As it is, govt/state is neck deep in all sorts of things like, "healthcare".    This gives them control.  They control the companies, invent regulations, buy the participants, decide who is in charge etc etc.

 

Govt/state will always be corrupt.   The only solution is to keep them away from as much as possible.   Refer to The US Constitution.  Let them deal with roads, the border, treaties and interstate conflicts, oh, and of course the Indian Nations.  If this is all they control, then these will be the only totally corrupt entities.

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 11:51 | 6671315 PoasterToaster
PoasterToaster's picture

If the State is always "corrupt", why must we have a State?

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 15:59 | 6672467 SofaPapa
SofaPapa's picture

Unfortunately, way too many humans still instinctively seek a "parent" figure to take care of them as adults.  This instinct leads them to create goverrnments.  I don't think we're going to eliminate this tendency in the population.  Thus governments will likely never go away, though ideologically I fully agree it would be great if people could learn to take care of themselves without looking for that outside crutch.

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 17:59 | 6672975 El Vaquero
El Vaquero's picture

You thoughts on the issue mirror mine very closely.  The only thing that we can do is step up to the plate to make sure what ever comes after what we have now is as small as possible and understand that in a century or three, our decendants will be going through this BS again.

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 20:49 | 6673558 jeff montanye
jeff montanye's picture

i'm not sure all these people who so quickly dismiss the "state" as useless or worse have spent enough time in places with little or no government but more populated than wilderness, like, say, a city.

the u.s. government has been better than it is now.  not perfect, not in some ways even good, but better.  the crime of 9-11 made them different.  they think they have nothing to lose because if they are found out . . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsoY3AIRUGA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW6mJOqRDI4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhROd7Jt3-w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgM6hjNedE0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj_AL4OlmHc&feature=iv&src_vid=rnbMjAN7B...

http://www.luogocomune.net/site/modules/sections/index.php?op=viewarticl...

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 16:14 | 6672559 sapioplex
sapioplex's picture

@SofaPapa - good comment, although it isn't just a parent figure.  It is management of cooperation.  Groups of humans operate more efficiently overall if they cooperate and that requires rules and oversight, thus, government.  Our brains evolved to work best with tribal groups of very few people.  A lot of the problem is that we now live essentially in groups of millions where the number of people you know and trust is almost exactly 0.  Thus, corruption is amplified by the differences between innate human brain operation and reality, multiplied by the scale of the group (the larger the group, the more corruption benefits.)

The innate behavior won't go away - it is genetic. I'm working on new forms of governance that naturally suppress corruption even in large groups.  The structures of these kinds of systems are not initially intuitive, but appear to be quite possible to make function.

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 09:21 | 6670600 jwoop66
jwoop66's picture

To simplify,  the deep state could not exist without massive govt.

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 07:49 | 6670232 Dick Buttkiss
Dick Buttkiss's picture

George, I'm afraid you are misinformed about, or simply ignorant of, the inherent nature of the state and suggest you read the following:

http://www.franz-oppenheimer.de/state1.htm

http://www.barefootsworld.net/nockoets0.html

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 11:41 | 6671243 hedgeless_horseman
hedgeless_horseman's picture

 

 

Bribery is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in charge of a public or legal duty.

2012 Presidential Election   
Barack Obama (D) $632,177,423 in bribes   
Mitt Romney (R) $389,088,268 in bribes

Corruption of government officials is currently Americans’ number one fear...

The solution is sortition.

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 20:52 | 6673566 Paveway IV
Paveway IV's picture

"...The solution is sortition..."

They seem to like a kind of sortition for sending young men off to foreign lands to die for oil and/or Rothschild interests. What's good for the goose...

I'm still rooting for my solution: fucking wood-chippers. It's actually not a solution to anything, but it sure would put a smile on many citizen's faces. We can start sortition right after the wood-chippering... I promise...

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 14:06 | 6671864 messymerry
messymerry's picture

Government is what it is.  It's size that matters.  Govt is like aspirin.  Too little and it doesn't help, just right and it is beneficial, too much and it is deadly.  We are very much in the too much stage.  Federal, State, and Local is waaaay to big.  It's probably three times as big as it should be.

Corruption grows with size and power.  They do not fear us.  We are a herd that they "manage". 

We are completely and royally screwed,,,

;-D   

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 17:22 | 6672834 malek
malek's picture

Too much Aspirin is deadly?
It seems you are confusing it with fucking Tylenol.

Thu, 10/15/2015 - 15:30 | 6672307 Dick Buttkiss
Thu, 10/15/2015 - 15:56 | 6672446 SofaPapa
SofaPapa's picture

Good first step for people to take.  The next crucial step - without which there will be zero progress - is for people to realize that the "representatives" on "their" side are just as corrupt as the representatives on "the other" side.  I have family, very well educated, who still do not see this.  They see the corruption, but they say, "but the other side is worse!!!"  Thus, paralysis.  Sadly, we need to be stripped of all faith in our government (which "side" is running it it does not matter!) for there to be any hope of progress.

Moving the right direction, but there's further to go.

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