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Distrusting the Government

Both sides of the aisle bear responsibility

By Tim Baldwin and Joe Carbonari

By Tim Baldwin

Distrusting government is not new; but every generation carries potential energy to alter, amend or abolish the system when distrust builds over time. America is subject to this law of human nature like any nation.

Government administrators hold the people’s political power in trust, but watch them closely because they have the power to take life, liberty and property. Naturally, the better these trustees administer government, the more people will respect, trust and obey them.

Today’s political movements seem to embody a fundamental distrust that millions of Americans have in the federal government, though the reasons are very different. The distrust will materialize regardless of whether Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton is elected. People are going to expect major changes from these candidates. More specifically though, Trump’s supporters will expect him to “make America great again.” If he doesn’t, the ripple effect will be great.

The Libertarian Party may rise in power. Trump supporters may seek a radical leader to “make America great again” in 2020. States may remove power from the federal government through constitutional amendments or declare independence from the union. Western civilization has long accepted the truth that politics is a science rooted in human nature. Governments built on principles contrary to human nature are doomed to fail and create misery. America has done well at balancing the people’s trust so far. How long will that last?


By Joe Carbonari

Our political system is an ever-changing experiment. How free can we be and still have a healthy and secure living environment – characterized by fairness and opportunity? Voluntary cooperation is required. That calls for trust. Currently, politically, we are short on trust.

Donald Trump, as a candidate for political leadership, should be rejected out-of-hand. Leadership presupposes a moral compass, a sense of appreciation and respect for others and their sensibilities. Do not kid yourself. Donald Trump fails this test, and supporting him indirectly supports the dark side of human nature – plain and simple.

Hillary Clinton is a major disappointment. Her inability to admit that she is not perfect has led her to level of linguistic gymnastics that is extraordinarily annoying. Too often, her tone does not match her words. She is too willing to use a misleading truth to arrive at an exonerating conclusion. Her email server, for instance.

In Montana’s gubernatorial race Steve Bullock accuses Greg Gianforte of wanting to deny public access to our rivers and streams and to sell-off our public lands. Gianforte accuses Bullock of waging war on the coal industry and wanting to destroy the viability of the town of Colstrip and of the economic future of those that live there. Both twist and overstate the facts in a way designed to denigrate and demonize their opponents. This does not build trust in either our candidates or our system. It should stop.