This chart by the Pew Research Center clearly shows that trust in the Federal Government of the United States is nearing a record low since 1958, when American National Election Study first asked about it. 55 years is a pretty long period of time to be too optimistic about the evolution of trust in Government. I mean, either Americans are becoming more generally distrustful or something is not working properly there.

People blames lawmakers –rather than the political system– for the problems in Congress. Nearly 58% say “the political system can work fine, it’s the members of Congress that are the problem.” while 32% say “most members of Congress have good intentions, it’s the political system that is broken.”

This is interesting. Overall, political parties are seen to be the most corrupt institution, according to Transparency International.

51 countries out of 107 perceive political parties to be among the institutions most affected by corruption. In the United States, 76% feel that political parties are corrupt or extremely corrupt. In case you are curious, in Spain that number reaches 83%, in Italy 89% and in Greece 90%!

Oh my God! If Trust is the “belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective,” What sense does it make to have “representatives” which we do not trust?