While I have opposed most of the policies of this administration, the most serious damage has been to the trust in our government.  If not reversed this could leave serious long term consequences.  We underestimate how much the proper functioning of our society depends on the people’s ability to trust out government.  This goes well beyond the constant tug of liberal and conservative viewpoints.

In the past we were able to keep our critical institutions somewhat insulated from the corruption that inevitable comes with politicalization.  The scandals from the IRS, the NSA, Veterans Affairs, and even the Secret Service have come from politicizing essential institutions of government.

This comes from promoting the politically correct over substantive issues, crony capitalism, and this incessant need to seek government solutions and central control over every area of our life.

To think this is merely an issue of competence is not only to miss the issue, but to compound it.  It is the faith in elitist competence that is largely the cause of this problem.

It was a faith in the competence of the elite that caused the Dot.com crash, the collapse of Long Term Capital, the Housing Bubble and the ensuing financial collapse.  It will also explain the failure of the ACA and other regulatory efforts.

We keep repeating this error because we have refused to recognize it.  We blame greed, this or that party, or more recently incompetence.  Yet we fail to realize we have demanded a government to do what it cannot do.

Instead of a serious discussion about the proper and effective role of government we demonize and double down on partisanship.  Until we get beyond the juvenile noise that passes for journalism we will continue to rehash the same tired excuses and rhetoric and continue to make the same errors.

in a similar vein – from George Will

Also from AP Doubts Chip Away at Our Most Trusted Agencies

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