Flame — HabitableZone

Flame » in reply to How do you know?

True, trust in government seems to be highly variable
Tom Brosz — (archived)

The two citizens being held are Jose Padilla, a.k.a. Abdullah al-Muhajir, who said he was plotting to build and detonate a radiological "dirty bomb." The other is Yaser Esam Hamdi, who was captured with a Taliban unit in Afghanistan.

Neither of these people is being held for carrying a sign saying "Bush is a Nazi."

You don't trust the government to pick up a nickel off the sidewalk and allocate it properly. Why is the government suddenly trustworthy in the former regard if not in the latter?

That is an interesting question. People seem to trust the government in issues that they agree with or support, but not on issues they don't. Objectively, as you say, trust should theoretically be consistent across the board.

You point out that I trust the government in matters of national security, but not to spend money wisely. True enough, I suppose, but they aren't exactly the same departments. And for the record, I have not always been overly impressed with the military's ability to spend money wisely over the past decades either.

But the Left has similar disconnects.

The same people who, when it comes to national security, assume our government is a power-mad, corrupt, secretive outfit riddled with conspiracies and influenced by corporations and other special interests; will turn right around and enthusiastically support turning our entire health care system over to that same government. Or for that matter, the education of our children.

Log in or register to post.

The whole thread (50 posts)