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> When was the last time anyone actually trusted a government? My feeling is that people trust the government to the extent it does things their perceived enem
by ErikVandeWater 5y ago
> When was the last time anyone actually trusted a government?
My feeling is that people trust the government to the extent it does things their perceived enemies dislike. It's not about evaluating what's good for yourself or others; just knowing that your enemy dislikes it is a good enough signal that it's the right thing to do. Also, if your perceived enemy likes something that happens, that means it was automatically a wrong thing to do.
The government is just a cudgel each side uses against the other. And each side adds nails to the cudgel each time they possess it, even though they know its possession is likely to return to the enemy.
- sokoloff 5y agoWhen considering how much power the federal government should ideally have, it’s wise to always remember that: one day, a party that you dislike will wield that power. Don’t think about what good you could do with all that power (because you’ll likely undershoot your positive intent anyway), but think about what bad someone who thought the opposite of what you want could do. It’s easier to destroy things than to build then up, so even if they also undershoot their positive intent, they can likely deliver on the things you’d find negative.
- kcplate 5y agoI wish more people considered this, but sadly most don’t.
- jimkleiber 5y agoI'd add that most of us probably trust most governments a lot more than we think we do, especially in the US.