Who Do We Trust? Not Congress, Not Obama, Not Many Institutions.

The short answer to the title above is that America trusts very few people and American institutions these days. Businessweek Magazine in their May 31, 2010 issue reported on a public opinion survey by Pew Research Center that was conducted in March, 2010. Businessweek reported on the results to the question of what institutions positively affect society. The results:

• 71% of the respondents said that small businesses positively affect society.
• 63% said churches and synagogues positively affect society.
• 45% said that the Obama administration positively affects society.
• 33% said Hollywood positively affects society.
• 31% said that the mainstream society positively affect society.
• 25% said corporations positively affect society.
• 24% said Congress positively affects society.
• 22% said banks positively affect society.

Wow, pretty sad when only two of your eight top institutions get a positive grade from typical Americans. A few comments:

- Remember when Obama was inaugurated, his approval ratings, depending on which barometer you looked at, were in the 70-80% range. Now, just over a year later, his administration has lost about 35-40% of the good will they enjoyed at the start of the administration. Could it be that high unemployment, skyrocketing Federal budget deficits, an ill-defined/budget busting/freedom crushing health care bill, non-action on long standing critical issues (failing public schools, widespread drug plague, lacking of a national energy plan, lawless and open borders/illegal alien problem, non-withdrawal from Iraq as promised, non-closure of Guantanamo as promised, etc.), an American public more divided than ever, state governments in rebellion on a variety of issues, etc. has caused Americans to finally realize that Obama is just another Chicago politician, a breed of politicians that generally cannot be trusted to make a positive impact on society?

- No wonder that banks are rated so low given that they are at the center of the current economic malaise we are now experiencing. There is no separate category reported for "government agency effectiveness" but I am pretty sure that the low bank ratings would translate over to those many government agencies (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FDIC, FHA, HUD, Treasury Department, Federal Reserve Board, Congressional housing and banking committees) that were supposed to oversee the banking industry and ensure that the banks' behavior did not lead to the financial meltdown we experienced, an oversight responsibility that they failed miserably at.

- I love it when I come across credible reviews of Congressional behavior. They never fail to show that most of us have a very poor opinion of how effective the current political class in Congress is performing. I think a lot of the reason for the extremely low ratings of Congress are the same reason for the low ratings of the Obama administration listed above, namely they never solve any problems. They are only successful at rigging election processes so that they always get re-elected. That is why it is critical that 1) we take up the cause of Step 39, term limits for Congressional seats, as outlined in "Love My Country, Loathe My Government" to find a ways to get credible, real leaders to Washington and 2) we start by dumping all incumbents in November as outlined at the website, www.flipcongress2010.com. Its tough to take any politician serious when over 75% of us think that, as a whole, the political class in Congress does not have a positive influence on society.

- Mainstream media at a 31% rating for positive impact should also be embarrassed. I believe it shows that Americans are smarter than the mainstream media gives them credit for. It has become obvious that mainstream media outlets are no longer unbiased in their reporting, regardless of where your political views lie. We know and recognize that certain mainstream media outlets are biased against Republicans and others are biased against Democrats. Now, it becomes harder for the typical news consumer to understand what reality is since it is now reported through whatever political lens each mainstream media outlet wants you to see it through.

The perfect example was this morning when I was forced to watch MSNBC, an ardent Democrat supporter in mainstream media which also makes it an ardent anti-Republican outlet. In reporting about the Republican candidate for the Senate from California, Carly Fiorini, they emphasized how rich she was from a length of her boat to the value of her real estate holdings, implying that rich people are bad political candidates. They failed to mention how much her Democratic opponent, Barbara Boxer, was worth, that would have shown some unbiased reporting. By not doing so, they leave open the door that they are biased since for all we know, Boxer might be even richer than Fiorini. They also failed to mention that the Democrats known as Bill and Hillary Clinton have earned well over $100 million over the past several years, that Democrat Nancy Pelosi's real estate holdings are worth at least $5.78 million (source: Businessweek from May 24, 2010), and that Obama's Treasury secretary has real estate holdings worth at least $2.5 million (same Businessweek source). By not reporting pertinent, related facts, it becomes obvious to most Americans, at least 69% of the respondents, that mainstream media is shortchanging America from an unbiased reporting perspective.

- The only clear cut winner in this survey is small business and they seem to be getting shortchanged today by the other institutions that got such low ratings. We have previously reported in this blog about how hard it is for small businesses to get loans from the very banks who have only a 22% approval rating. In the May 31, 2010 issue of Businessweek, just below the Pew research results, there was any article that showed how the recently passed health care reform bill will result in a flood of new government reporting requirements that will overwhelm many small business owners with red tape (more on this outrage in a future post). Both Obama and Congress can be blamed for this impediment to small business, the very institution that traditionally leads us out of the type of economic mess we are currently in.

Thus, the most trusted, the most local, the most dependable institution (in bad economic times) is getting pounded by institutions with low approval ratings (Obama administration at only 45%), lower approval ratings (Congress at a measly 24%), and lowest approval ratings (Banks at 22%). Given that Obama and Congress bailed out the banks and their friends at those banks (e.g. Robert Rubin at Citi), it is critical that we find a way to break the grip that these three horsemen of the Apocalypse have on the country. We know that they have very little positive influence on society, it is our duty and our right to relieve them of their jobs and get some true, positive leadership in place. The current trend is unacceptable and in the long run, fatal for society, the country, and our freedom.

Our new book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at www.loathemygovernment.com. It is also available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Please pass our message of freedom onward. Let your friends and family know about our websites and blogs, ask your library to carry the book, and respect freedom for both yourselves and others everyday.