Do You Really Trust Them?

I have been thinking about something lately.  We have been so conditioned as a society and engrained with such rhetoric that so many people tend to believe everything that the government tells them, and actually believe that the government has their best interest at heart.  I’m not saying that the government is 100% bad or anything, but at the same time, given its history, it cannot just be blindly believed about everything.

When we think about it, this is the same government that once made slavery legal, and even after they supposedly made it illegal, other legal ways were found to still keep people down such as redlining laws, mortgage lending practices, and so on.  This is also the same system that continues to turn a blind eye to so much that is going on, and has allowed, and continues to allow injustices, which occur seemingly daily. 

Yet many people truly believe that the system loves them and wants only the best for them.  They believe that the government is actually working to protect and serve its citizens.  I’m not trying to be a Debbie downer or say that there is no good at all from the system, but I am saying that it leaves much to be desired.  Some people are actually skeptical and critical of their actions.

Of course much of this can be shaped by personal experiences with the system, political beliefs, how we were raised, media influence, societal influence, and so on.  Sometimes we may also grow up believing something, but then as we get older and start to see things in a different light, we may no longer believe what we were taught.

I personally find that the system leaves much to be desired.  While I recognize that the government is made up of individuals who have differing opinions, priorities, and motivations, I also believe that some have their own personal agenda when forming policies that affect all of us.  That to me is self-serving and not in the best interest of the public as a whole.  What are your thoughts?