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Political Science 1000-41 Reflection Paper # 3

Do Americans trust their Government? Today in America, economic uncertainty is attributed to current mistrust in the Federal Government. According to a 2010 Reuters survey nearly 80 percent of Americans say they do not trust their government to do what is right, expressing the highest level of distrust in Washington in half a century. Trust has been on a steady decline since the Eisenhower administration. Looking back to the mid 1960s through the 1990s, the Consortium of Social Science (COSSA) presented views by three social scientists that portrayed different but pessimistic views of why Americans distrust their government. The first view presented by John Hibbing, Professor of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, basically states that the people are not comfortable with conflict and that there is misconception about how the government works. The public want politicians to listen to what their constituents want. The lack of government and civic education in the schools contributes to this misunderstanding of government policies and processes. The second view presented by Poppa Norris from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University believes the media plays a role in crafting the publics attitude towards government institutions. Content coverage involving the government has become more negative. But she stated that data from the National Election Surveys suggests that the mass media has not increased public apathy or increased negative attitudes.

Wendy Rahn, Associate of Political Science at the University of Minnesota based her discussion on how Generation X has become increasing disengaged and disinterested in the political process. This generation is focused on actual events that happen in the United States and this causes unhappiness and dissatisfaction with the political process. Rahn stated that politicians need to bear some of the responsibility in the lack of attachment and unhappiness of the younger generation. The term public trust can refer to public opinion. Scandals and lack of acting in what is perceived to be the publics interest can lead to mistrust in the government as a whole. Depending on what poll you review CNN/ORC, Reuters, or PEW the numbers vary, but remain on the low side. Recession, sex scandals, 9/11, Watergate, and other issues have always caused fluxuation in the numbers, but 90% of citizens continue to feel that democracy is the best form of government and are unwilling to embrace any other kind of government.

Why pay attention to politics? To maintain our rights we need to pay attention to politics. Politicians make decisions which affect all of our lives. Being knowledgeable about what is happening in the world allows us to make informed decisions when we cast our vote. On average, todays citizen are about as able to name their leaders, and are about as aware of major news events, as was the public nearly 20 years ago.

Research has found that more informed citizens are more accepting of democratic norms such as political tolerance; are more efficacious about politics; are more likely to participate in politics in a variety of ways including voting, working for a political party and attending local community meetings. (Delli Carpini 1996) Whether it is taxes, healthcare, or environmental issues, decisions that are made today will affect us all tomorrow and in the days to come.

What type of government do we have? Formally referred to as the Government of the United States of America, the government at the national level is defined as a modern national federation government although it is also called a democratic republic. The United States is also a federal system because it shares its powers with lower levels of government through state, municipalities and counties. The U.S. is also a two party system consisting of Democrats and Republicans. Third party candidates have had few victories but have played a role by altering the shape of the major parties. Being a representative democracy, the United States population does not rule directly but exercises their power through elected representatives. The United States has come as close as any nation ever has to instituting a perfect form of government. The constitution of the United States is a perfect an instrument as has ever been devised by man. It provides a balance between two threats to individual

liberty, the arbitrary power of a government and the potentially abusive power of a majority of the people.

How have the American People changed over time? As stated in We the People the meaning of we the people has changed over time. With the influx of immigrants to the United States the population has boosted to well over 300 million people. The diversity in the cultures has brought challenges in discrimination, education, economics, and healthcare. There are many changes that have shaped the American people such as war, technology, new discoveries in healthcare, economic growth and losses, farming, import/exporting media and the arts. One could go on and on about the different happenings through history that has molded the American people into a free thinking, mostly tolerant society. But, the fight for equality among the minorities seems pivotal in our change as Americans. The abolition of slavery by the 13th amendment and the womens suffrage movement are two components that shaped a change in the American people. Lynching occurred throughout the United States until the 1930s, continuing well into the civil rights movement of the south. (Hine, Hine, Stanley, 2006) Racial minorities treated like second class citizens have developed their own sub-cultures. The womens suffrage movement felt that slavery was wrong and when viewing their plight it was contemporous with anti-slavery. For it was in the abolitionists ranks that early suffragists received their training, both as thinkers and propagandists. (Gruening, 1912)

A free society can only remain free when the people come together and generally agree on a broad set of principles by which they ought to be governed, eagerly defend that set of principles, and pass it on to their posterity. (Weaver, 2006) Social class is one of the greatest influences in America. Education, income levels and occupation play an important role in the changes people make in their lifestyle, political views and involvement. The political behavior of people is directly correlated with a persons social class. Populations in the upper middle to high income brackets are more educated, tend to show an interest in their community and are more likely to vote. Does the system uphold American political values? The concept of equality has been the most obvious contradiction to American values. Many people argue that the United States did not become a full democracy until 1965, when African- Americans were treated as equal citizens and guaranteed the right to vote through the passage of the Voting Rights Act. (Kollman, 2011)

The belief of liberty, equality, and democracy are a common set of values that have shaped the United States. The 2008 Gallup poll shows that 69% of those surveyed agreed that any group should be free to assemble. When questioned about liberty 56% were very or somewhat concerned about the government monitoring their personal information. 89% agreed that equality of opportunity for homosexuals should allow equal employment rights.

There are many instances in which public policy and public opinion do not coincide, but in general the governments actions are consistent with citizens preference. (Ginsberg, Lowi, Weir, Spitzer, 2011)

References

Ginsberg, B., Lowi, T., Weir, M., Spitzer. R.J., (2011) We the People Delli Carpini, M.X. (2005) An Overview of the State of Citizens Knowledge About Politics McKinney M. (2005) Communicating Politics: Engaging the Public in Democratic Life Weaver, S. (2006) Tolerance and Intolerance in America Hines, D., Hines W.C., Harrold, S. (2006) The African American Odyssey Will, G. (1993) Changes That Shape America Go Way Beyond the Political Arena Kollman, K (2011) The American Political System Retrieved from: http://www.womenshistory.about.com/library/etext/bi-CNSIS-1912htm http://www.themoralliberal.com/2011/10/06/what-the-form-of-government-do-we-haveanyway

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/04/19/us-americans-government-pollidustre6310FB20100419 http://www.cossa.org/seminars/trust.htm http://www.people-press.org/2007/04/15public-knowledge-of-current-affairs http://www.opendemocracy.net/charles-barclay-roger/truth-about-public