Why Americans hate their government

[questionmark]

Washington is having one of its odd debates as to whether the Obama administration’s rollout of HealthCare.gov was worse than the Bush administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina. But whatever the answer, if there is one, the real story is that both are examples of a major, and depressing, trend: the declining competence of the federal government. Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, has been saying for years that most Americans believe their government can no longer act effectively and that this erosion of competence, and hence confidence, is a profound problem.

“The federal service is suffering its greatest crisis since it was founded in the first moments of the republic,” scholar Paul Light writes in his book “A Government Ill Executed.”

Over the past decade, the federal government has had several major challenges: Iraq, Afghanistan, a new homeland security system, Katrina and Obamacare. In almost every case, its performance has been plagued with mismanagement, massive cost overruns and long delays. This was not always so. In the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, federal agencies were often lean, well managed and surprisingly effective. Paul Hoffman, the administrator of the Marshall Plan, pointed out that his monumental project came in on time and under budget.

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[green_dude777]

Well, I learned something.... I thought the last time the government was responsible for anything coming in under budget and on or ahead of time was the Hoover Dam.

[Stardrive]

Now that we're all neatly painted into a corner with all these new laws and regulations, no jobs, required by law now to obtain health insurance, all the while creditors blowing my phone up, what's there to be unhappy about?

[shadowghost]

What people don't understand is the government is created for the people by the people. Looking at stats more people complain then they actually do vote. Meaning it is their own fault for their unhappy state.

[Rafterman]

Comparing Obamacare to Katrina?

Seriously? Minimize, minimize, minimize.

The Washington Compost will never not carry the water for Obama.

[spartan max2]

maybe we hate our government because our government keeps taking all of are money, wasting it, going in debt, has rampant corruption, lies to us countless times, pays off its cronies, and keeps taking our rights away...

[+OverSword]

I think the analogy with Katrina is less than poor.

It is the governors job to request federal assistance from FEMA. After waiting by his phone for hours Bush finally called the governor of LA and asked him if he was ever going to call. Just another partisan stunt at the cost of the lives and well being of us nobodys.

Edited November 22, 2013 by OverSword

[travelnjones]

One huge part is the people we elect. I am not making this a political thing. We elect charismatic people who are good and getting people to like them. They are the sort of people who rise through organizations because of their ability to be liked.

They are not people who actually know how to do anything.

[+OverSword]

One huge part is the people we elect. I am not making this a political thing. We elect charismatic people who are good and getting people to like them. They are the sort of people who rise through organizations because of their ability to be liked.

They are not people who actually know how to do anything.

Then they should be in movies not destroying our nation.

[Harte]

What people don't understand is the government is created for the people by the people. Looking at stats more people complain then they actually do vote. Meaning it is their own fault for their unhappy state.

No question.

But it's true that the fault lies with us in even more ways.

Part of the decline of government competence lies in the expectation regarding what the government is thought to be able to do in the first place.

Back when the government was "efficient," it wasn't passing out cash hand over fist to every Tom, Dick and Harry with a complaint, for example.

Today's government is incapable partially because today's government is expected to do more than government can actually do.

Again, it's the fault of the citizenry.

Harte

[RavenHawk]

Like what others have said, WTF?! Comparing Obamacare with Katrina? Katrina was a failure at the state level as far as response goes. Obamacare is the worse falsehood ever perpetrated on the American People at the national level. It is worse that Watergate, Iran-Contra, Whitewater gate, and Monica Lewinski all rolled into one. In fact there is no comparison. Obamacare is clearly and as advertised fundamental change to the American system and way of life. We do not want to be like Europe. We don’t need Socialism.

For one half of the American People, the free half, hate this government for destroying the Constitution. The other half, the slave half, hate the government because when you hook people on dependency they become complacent, low information voters, and basically sheep. When they reach that level, they become indignant because they have forgotten how to depend on themselves. And rely on a government that cannot meet their needs.

[Frank Merton]

I would say that if one feels the Constitution is no longer effective (has been effectively destroyed) then the thing to do is agitate for a Constitutional Convention, as the Constitution itself calls for, and write one that explicitly disallows the sorts of things that have happened.

I don't think such an effort would be successful: there are too many interests vested in the way things are. Still, it would be vastly better and more likely to succeed than some violent effort.

[DecoNoir]

I would say that if one feels the Constitution is no longer effective (has been effectively destroyed) then the thing to do is agitate for a Constitutional Convention, as the Constitution itself calls for, and write one that explicitly disallows the sorts of things that have happened.

I don't think such an effort would be successful: there are too many interests vested in the way things are. Still, it would be vastly better and more likely to succeed than some violent effort.

It'd be hard for most to shake that notion. After all, we were born in violent revolution, and spent two centuries applying the same force to our problems. I say it worked a little too well for too long.

Edit: Typo

Edited November 23, 2013 by DecoNoir

[Almagest]

I for one think an inefficient and incompetant government is a good thing. Do we really want it to exercise its full potential when all the historic examples of governments like that have been terrifying?

[preacherman76]

I would say that if one feels the Constitution is no longer effective (has been effectively destroyed) then the thing to do is agitate for a Constitutional Convention, as the Constitution itself calls for, and write one that explicitly disallows the sorts of things that have happened.

I don't think such an effort would be successful: there are too many interests vested in the way things are. Still, it would be vastly better and more likely to succeed than some violent effort.

No way would I trust this governmnet, who is wilfully destroying the constitution, to have a constitutional convention. They can add, or take out whatever they want to if they had enough votes states wide for a convention, By the time they got done with it, we would be as free as North Korea.

[spartan max2]

I would say that if one feels the Constitution is no longer effective (has been effectively destroyed) then the thing to do is agitate for a Constitutional Convention, as the Constitution itself calls for, and write one that explicitly disallows the sorts of things that have happened.

I don't think such an effort would be successful: there are too many interests vested in the way things are. Still, it would be vastly better and more likely to succeed than some violent effort.

But they would just ignore whatever the new constitution says. Like they do with the constitution we have now, why would it be any different?

[Babe Ruth]

It was so cool last year or so, the Congress began its session with members reading from various parts of the US Constitution. I think they eventually read the entire document in front of the cameras, with all due gravitas and high theater.

Then Congress proceeded to pass a number of new laws that violated the letter and spirit of the document, NDAA amendment being but one example.

[aztek]

lol.

Vietnam announces big fines for social media 'propaganda'

Vietnam will hand out fines of 100 million dong ($4,740) to anyone criticizing the government on social media, under a new law announced this week, the latest measure in a widening crackdown on dissent by the country's communist rulers.

Comments that did not constitute criminal offences would trigger fines if held to be "propaganda against the state", or spreading "reactionary ideology", according to the law signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Vietnam has repeatedly drawn fire for the harsh treatment and lengthy jail terms it has given to bloggers who criticized its one-party regime. The number of arrests and convictions has soared in the last four years.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/27/us-vietnam-internet-idUSBRE9AQ0MJ20131127

i wonder how far away usa is from this.

[MonkeyLove]

From the '40s the the '60s, the government and Big Business were still profiting from manufacturing and oil production. That ended with U.S. peak oil and the effects of a reserve currency economy, eventually leading to voodoo economics from the '80s onward.

[Frank Merton]

lol.

Vietnam announces big fines for social media 'propaganda'

Vietnam will hand out fines of 100 million dong ($4,740) to anyone criticizing the government on social media, under a new law announced this week, the latest measure in a widening crackdown on dissent by the country's communist rulers.

Comments that did not constitute criminal offences would trigger fines if held to be "propaganda against the state", or spreading "reactionary ideology", according to the law signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Vietnam has repeatedly drawn fire for the harsh treatment and lengthy jail terms it has given to bloggers who criticized its one-party regime. The number of arrests and convictions has soared in the last four years.

http://www.reuters.c...E9AQ0MJ20131127

i wonder how far away usa is from this.

"Soared" -- like from maybe two to now four. You should read these blogs that generated this. They make outrageous accusations with no support. This government is not powerless to deal with such stuff.

[Frank Merton]

But they would just ignore whatever the new constitution says. Like they do with the constitution we have now, why would it be any different?

Well then I would suggest adopting a Vietnam style government with a single party of members selected from the educated.

[toast]

One huge part is the people we elect. I am not making this a political thing. We elect charismatic people who are good and getting people to like them. They are the sort of people who rise through organizations because of their ability to be liked. They are not people who actually know how to do anything.

Same situation here in Germany. I always say, a county is like a big company, so it needs managers to manage a country. But there are just people, as you mentioned, that are there where they are because they surfed into the first row due to their ability to be liked. We just have the highest tax income that we ever had in our history, but the money is permanent wasted by these people. One example, of a lot more with costs involved >500 M EUR, is the new Berlin airport. Planned to be opened in 2012 for a total of 1.7 Billion EUR. Status quo : Partial (sic!) opening in spring 2014 (unconfirmed), cost estimate till the end of 2014 : 5.1B EUR. The whole delay and cost increase was caused by the Berlin gouverment, as they asked for thousands of changes on the project after the planning phase was completed and also confirmed by the Berlin gouverment earlyer on.