We hear the complaints from neighbors, colleagues, coworkers, family and friends — all airing the same grievances about how much they hate taxes, the government, this law or that new bill. They all chat about how dumb the president is or how bias Congress acts. As years pass, the more it seems that everyone in America hates the government.
Maybe it is our fault they suck.
If we want a better government, we need to become a better nation. The government doesn’t just start wars, use taxes on senseless things and dictate our lives. They manage our highways, ensure we have safe toys for our children and things as simple as taking your literal waste away. Without the government, imagine yards covered with trash and no pipes to get clean water or get rid of your waste.
In most news outlets today we all hear the negative stories and controversies of Congress and President Trump. People seem to love or hate our current president, and this leads to a strong divide on people’s opinions of the government. Pew Research Center found that today only 19 percent of Americans trust the government to make good decisions. This differs greatly from when the first survey was taken in 1958 and 73 percent of Americans felt they could trust the government most of the time to do a good job. A lot has changed since the 1950s, including trust in government.
Maybe the rise in technology and access to information has caused a larger distrust of the government. With our “we want it now” attitude since becoming accustomed to instantaneous answers from Google within nanoseconds has made us want the government to move faster while still being a democracy, which takes much longer than governments with dictatorships. Maybe it is the government, but one must also think, isn’t our government just a reflection of us?
The government is also more than just the federal or even state government. The Census Bureau claims there are 89,004 local governments in the U.S. They salt your roads in the winter, make sure bridges are up to date and employee safety measures for children’s schools. These may seem like little things, but without them daily life would be much harder.
So next time the election comes around look at all the candidates for every positions, know that you’re picking the people to help you, your community, your state and your nation become a better place. Instead of complaining, do something about it, and be grateful to have government that does so much for you.
Lauren Sheil is a freshman studying strategic communication at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What do you think? Let Lauren know by tweeting her @laurensheil101.
