General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I'll ask it more simply: can the government be trusted? [View all]CakeGrrl
(10,611 posts)To agree somewhat with a post below mine, it depends on WHO is running the government, IMO. AND it depends on what (or whom) people perceive the government to be.
In some cases, the President becomes the visual representation of government. The GOP is using this to full advantage, IMO, to scare the RW into associating the 'scary black other' currently holding the office of POTUS as the face of the evil government that wants to give their hard-earned money to welfare cheats and to snatch their guns out of their hands.
To some others, the perception could be that the government is this massive, faceless organism that has grown beyond the control of any one person or even a few people. But that still has to trace back to some key people making decisions.
Maybe a common thread is that people perceive the government to be telling them what to do and taking away their control. The control that they perceive the government to be taking away varies by which issue people hold most dear.
And they simply don't trust the people they think are calling the shots.
I don't believe the administration in power today has the nefarious intent of prior GOP administrations, to boil it down.
But rogue elements can cause trouble anywhere. Where are they? We can't always be sure. But to live in fear of their potential? I won't look over my shoulder 24/7.