Do You Trust Your Federal Government? | INFJ Forum

Do You Trust Your Federal Government?

Do you trust your central government?

  • Total voters
    23
bickelz

bickelz

BOINK
Jan 1, 2011
2,292
554
0
MBTI
infj
Enneagram
4w5
This is open to everyone, just state which country you're talking about.

I'm actually a bit undecided on this. I believe in government and trust in it but I'm not sure if I can trust my government in the US. I trust them economically I think but not militarily. I also don't think the environment stuff goes far enough.
 
For the most part yes. They got to do something about these god d*mn gas prices though.
 
U.S. - With some things. I respect the fact that they need to keep a lot of secrets for the sake of everyone. I respect that they do a lot of preventative things that will never be known by the public. Because of that, its hard to say. They could be doing really great or really evil things (probably both). I think with such a large variable its hard to develop an opinion. I have no idea how wide that void is. Its not hard to understand their motivations, which makes it easier to predict and 'trust' them to an extent. I do not trust their idea of what education should be and I do not like the amount of control that have.

I think in some ways my government is a part of a much stronger force which is very, very corrupt. I think decisions become protocol and people lose sight of it. I think there are probably plenty of corrupt people in positions of authority. I think there are probably some good people that are too naive to do much about it, also.

Mostly I wind up irritated with my countrymen for their roles in it and I try not to waste too much energy hating the government. I know that I can't singlehandedly change it, so I'm okay with the idea of leaving if I don't like it. So far I have found enough loop holes to not have to deal with them. I did have this asshole of a U.S. Marshal search my home (I let him in) and then he accused me of hiding some escaped felon in my home; he suggested the man was maybe my boyfriend. I was soooo pissed (and insulted, if you had seen this guy's picture you would have been too). But he had the wrong *house*. Not kidding. Anyways, my dad got the asshat fired so as long as it isn't so corrupt that people like that stick around, I'm not spending too much time sweating what I can't change. I vote, I voice my concerns, I live the way I see right, I take advantage of my rights by choosing alternatives.

I do think there are some awful decisions being made, and I am probably going to look for work abroad once I graduate. I think after the next few years, I won't feel as safe as I do now.

A little off topic- It does make me sad the reputation that US citizens get for Federal government decisions. Often we hate them, too, or we're completely unaware of what is really going on outside our borders. I hope that other countries realize this a little more as time goes on. It really sucks to get hassled for being an American when I'm traveling and taking the time to explore another culture.
 
I very much trust the government. Does that mean I am happy with it? No, not in the slightest. I have faith in the system though. The vast majority of law makers who are in power are real people, whom are no different then all of us. They honestly are trying very hard to keep things runnings. The problem is, like any group, there is a small minority of individuals who make things difficult. When the government works, it works very well. That hasn't changed. A lot of distrust comes from being "lied" to. To be honest, I often find that these reasons are more or less justified for doing so, and were reasonable. Do I 100% trust the goverment though? No, but I still have a lot of trust of it.

What I don't trust, is the private sector. Which, has it's finger in the government, and that is where the poison comes from.
 
I don't, no, but that is not to say I distrust the IDEA of government. A lot of people do, but that's just as wrong. Politics is negotiation between disparate parties who have equal but differing and often mutually exclusive needs. Government is the brain and heart of civilization (on a purely biological metaphor.) It organizes, redirections, funnels, concentrates, distributes, addresses, etc... it's necessary. Still, concentration of power like that (necessary to achieve the biggest human goals) attracts the wrong sort of person, as evidenced by the massive effort to 'buy out' government by the other largest concentration of power on earth... multinational corporations... whose purposes are selfish (by legal definition) and profit-driven. I suppose one could say government is profit-driven as well, so long as you define profit as 'profit for the majority' rather than 'profit for the minority' as is the case with corps (namely, their owners.)

So... yes and no. I recognize the need and benefits of government, but also the temptations involved as well.
 
Apathetic and in the middle should be two different choices.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jill Hives
The role of politicians is to make decisions for lots of other people. If you strive for this position, you probably have no problem with (violently) imposing your will on other people. If you do have a problem with this, and realize what your job description consists of, you'd do best to drop the race immediately to avoid spiritual distress.

Being successful in being elected has very little to do with being a good ruler. Rather, being able to skillfully hide negative things while highlighting (at least superficially) positive effects (credit expansion, anyone?) and pandering to special "groups" to provide them with benefits seem to be imperative. These benefits disproportionately turn into "welfare for the rich"; the ordinary man isn't nearly as capable of lobbying for his own interests as more affluent special interests. Candidates reluctant to accepting corporate money will tend to be out-competed by others with less integrity, since money is indeed vital for a successful campaign.

The importance of unrealistic rhetoric shouldn't be underestimated, either. If you tell a realistic story, while competitors slip in a few lies to make their story a lot brighter, you've got trouble on your hands. People hear what they want to hear, if they reasonably justify, at least to a limited extent, a naive but positive belief, they tend to take it as truth. Unadulterated truth doesn't stand a chance against a web of interwoven facts and feel-good lies.

Getting far up into the power hierarchy without being viewed in a favorable light by the pre-existing "establishment" seems like quite the task, too. This is probably the reason that change is so hard to come by.

No. I tend to not trust an institution funded mainly by coercion, ruled by "fixers" who think themselves fit to control others without their consent (plus, institutional factors favor folks liable to lie and accept bribes for these jobs).

I did however check the military box, although reluctantly. Mostly due to the fact that it barely engages in any operations at all, and wars close to home seem very unlikely. But, unfortunately, we do participate with a couple of hundred soldiers in some countries, which sucks.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: muir
This is like saying "do you trust people?". The answer is not "yes" or "no", it's "which people?".
 
As long as I'm a taxpaying citizen in the US, I expect the federal government to function adequately in all the areas mentioned in the survey. I don't trust them to do so because of collective human error and because all our base are belong to special interest.
 
Nope! There is no such thing as a government. There are only people. I distrust anyone who seeks authority over others, and that is what government does!
 
  • Like
Reactions: bamf
Are you implying that state governments can do a better job than the federal government?
 
whatever all they want is power and pretending to be nice is only a tool to get it
 
Dragon said:
Are you implying that state governments can do a better job than the federal government?
Click to expand...

[MENTION=834]Dragon[/MENTION] Not sure if you were aiming this at me but I'll answer it as if you did anyways.

First off, I wanted to open up the discussion to people not from the states so "central" government is a more appropriate wording.

As to answer the question with my opinion, I think not. When Madison wrote the constitution, he wanted a large republic so that there was diversity. Each faction would fight each other in government for their own self-interests. The more diverse the population you have, the more the self interests will "cross-cut" of check each other, creating gridlock.

I'll bet people don't like gridlock but the thing is that it makes the country stable. With smaller, more homogenous republics (like the Anti-Federalists wanted), you would have tyrannical majorities because of the lack of these factions.

This type of government is called pluralism and works best in larger governments.

So, no I wasn't implying I believe states can do better, just wondering.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jyrffw54
I trust that my government will act in accordance with its interests. Which is to say, I trust that the people that make up my government will act in accordance with their interests.

I voted “completely.”


cheers,
Ian
 
Australia - yes I do trust the government and I work for one of their departments as it happens but I have never had a problem with the idea of government. It is necessary even if I do not always agree with who is in power or what they stand for. I do trust them and believe that there is ethics in government if not always politics. Politics is another issue - I am disappointed in political life here as the view is very short term and aimed only at getting someone over the line at the next election.
 
DrShephard said:
Nope! There is no such thing as a government. There are only people. I distrust anyone who seeks authority over others, and that is what government does!
Click to expand...

I thought this but didn't know how to put it into words.
Thanks.
 
There wasn't a simple no option so I didn't vote. I can't trust any organization that is swayed by money and is supposed to represent the wishes of its people equally.
 
Interesting too how many of us said that we don't trust the government with social issues. That was the only box I ticked!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back