Government Distrust

One of the things that has always been somewhat confusing about the American democracy is how many people think the Government is their enemy.

This tracks back to our earliest days when mistrust of the Government led to the Bill of Rights, a protection from the Government oppressing us.

If we are a Government of the people, why so much mistrust?

Governments in general tend to restrict what you can do, at least the way we perceive it.

We tend to forget that without Government, a lot of things we take for granted would be problematic.

For example, we all know that the various parts of the Government provide law enforcement, which, assuming you are law abiding, is a positive thing.

The problem generally is that the Government protects the many, who take it for granted, while making the few toe the line.

So a business owner told by OSHA that he has to incur costs for the safety of his workers is not going to be happy, and probably his workers won't care or may feel their jobs are being threatened.

Food processors like to stamp their products as Government approved, but they don't like when the Government costs them money.

Almost all of us, at least those who work, feel some pain from the payroll deductions to pay for all this, and inherently feel we pay too much, even thought we don't actually pay the full costs.

The point I am making is that the benefits of Government are spread over a large number, in effect making it almost invisible, while enforcement is much more targeted.

We pay too much and get too little and every so often the Government bothers us, making us get permits, or licenses, or possibly giving us a ticket or even arresting us.

We could do without it, except of course without it there would be anarchy.

Its just so annoying.