HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

Why Libertarians Should Want *More* Trust in Government

Views:899
@ReasonVids

According to Gallup and most other other polling organizations, Americans have record or near-record low rates of confidence in government.



Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/reasontv
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine/
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Subscribe to our podcast at iTunes: https://goo.gl/az3a7a

Reason is the planet's leading source of news, politics, and culture from a libertarian perspective. Go to reason.com for a point of view you won't get from legacy media and old left-right opinion magazines.



Just 39 percent of us approved of Donald Trump's performance in his second quarter as president, almost 25 points off the historical average. A mere 36 percent have a lot of faith in publis schools. Only slightly more than a quarter of us trust the criminal justice system and just 12 percent of us say we have a "great deal of" or "quite a lot of" confidence in Congress. Trust in most major institutions is lower than it was a decade ago.

A lot of libertarians and other skeptics of government see this trend and believe that people are finally waking up to reality. But there are good reasons to be concerned about persistently low levels of trust and confidence in government.

Researchers routinely find that "people in countries with bad governments want more government intervention" in all aspects of their lives, even though they don't trust the government to be fair or effective. One 2010 study found that 82 percent of former East Germans and 92 percent of Russians--two famously "low-trust" populations--favored wage controls. Residents in Scandinavia and North America--which are "high trust" regions--were far more trusting of market forces.

So it turns out that government may be growing not in spite of our lack of confidence in it, but because of our lack of confidence in it. This self-defeating spiral will only get worse if the United States fails to stem its slide toward being a low-trust country.

The solution to this doesn't have to be nihilism or anarchy. Instead, we need a government that does fewer things but does them better. Government spending is at an already swollen 21 percent of GDP and is predicted to climb to 30 percent over the next three decades. Libertarians rightly want a limited government and we should fight like hell to end cronyism, drug prohibition, and regulatory overreach that does nothing but increase the cost of doing business. We need to keep pushing back against defense spending wasted on elective wars and national security measures that put us under surveillance without making us safer.

But we should also point to places where government action is both legitimate and effective and praise policies--like school choice, for instance--that deliver better results at cheaper costs. Ironically, if we can get more people to trust the government, it just might be easier to shrink the size, scope, and spending of the state.

Produced by Todd Krainin. Written by Nick Gillespie. Cameras by Jim Epstein.

libertarian
,
reason magazine
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reasontv
    Thumbnail for Stossel: Eye Test Innovators vs. Bottleneckers4:12
    Stossel: Eye Test Innovators vs. Bottleneckers
    ReasonVids
    859 views
    Thumbnail for How The Week is Transforming News Mags for the 21st Century9:34
    How The Week is Transforming News Mags for the 21st Century
    ReasonVids
    874 views
    Thumbnail for Jon Favreau Defends Obama's Record on Surveillance and Transparency3:48
    Jon Favreau Defends Obama's Record on Surveillance and Transparency
    ReasonVids
    1012 views
    Thumbnail for Did Rand Paul compromise his principles by endorsing Mitt Romney?2:18
    Did Rand Paul compromise his principles by endorsing Mitt Romney?
    ReasonVids
    858 views
    Thumbnail for 3 Ways to Make Obamacare Less Totally Horrible2:24
    3 Ways to Make Obamacare Less Totally Horrible
    ReasonVids
    855 views
    Thumbnail for I Spend on Your Grave!: 3D Fiscal House of Horrors!, ep. 11:20
    I Spend on Your Grave!: 3D Fiscal House of Horrors!, ep. 1
    ReasonVids
    829 views
    Thumbnail for Are We Allowed to Tell the Truth Yet? | Grunt Speak Live2:29:49
    Are We Allowed to Tell the Truth Yet? | Grunt Speak Live
    Terrence Popp
    1210 views
    Thumbnail for Thank God we banned plastic straws.1:49
    Thank God we banned plastic straws.
    AOU
    9796 views
    Thumbnail for Justin Amash Left the GOP—Opening a New Set of Possibilities in American Politics3:42
    Justin Amash Left the GOP—Opening a New Set of Possibilities in American Politics
    ReasonVids
    1112 views
    Thumbnail for Robert L. Bradley, Jr.: Obama's Enron Problem9:49
    Robert L. Bradley, Jr.: Obama's Enron Problem
    ReasonVids
    857 views
    Thumbnail for Don't Fear the Refugees9:19
    Don't Fear the Refugees
    ReasonVids
    1065 views
    Thumbnail for I bet you can't make a sentence without the letter A | Jehtt0:21
    I bet you can't make a sentence without the letter A | Jehtt
    invidious
    391 views
    Thumbnail for How to Start a Dragon Academy | Dragons:  Riders of Berk22:33
    How to Start a Dragon Academy | Dragons: Riders of Berk
    invidious
    277 views
    Thumbnail for Trump's Fake News: Deep Breaths and Fact-Checking Might Just Save America5:10
    Trump's Fake News: Deep Breaths and Fact-Checking Might Just Save America
    ReasonVids
    969 views
    Thumbnail for PORTLAND, OREGON:  Far-left extremist university professor physically assaults flag-waving Proud Boys, gets pinned down by Proud Girl.1:53
    PORTLAND, OREGON: Far-left extremist university professor physically assaults flag-waving Proud Boys, gets pinned down by Proud Girl.
    AOU
    16248 views
    Thumbnail for Never Let jews dictate who is friend and who is foe - No More Brother Wars3:14
    Never Let jews dictate who is friend and who is foe - No More Brother Wars
    AOUisgay
    455 views
    Thumbnail for Relaxing Christmas Jazz Instrumental Music for Relieve Stress - Cozy Night in a Winter Snow Cabin 🎅🎄 | Smooth Jazz BGM1:00
    Relaxing Christmas Jazz Instrumental Music for Relieve Stress - Cozy Night in a Winter Snow Cabin 🎅🎄 | Smooth Jazz BGM
    invidious
    143 views
    Thumbnail for Clark Neily: H.B. 3637 Would Keep Horse Teeth Floating Legal in Texas & Protect Horse Owners3:51
    Clark Neily: H.B. 3637 Would Keep Horse Teeth Floating Legal in Texas & Protect Horse Owners
    IJvids
    1042 views
    Thumbnail for Prayer Instrumental Music, Deep Focus 24/7 - Music For Studying, Concentration, Work And Meditation | Piano Praise1:00
    Prayer Instrumental Music, Deep Focus 24/7 - Music For Studying, Concentration, Work And Meditation | Piano Praise
    invidious
    330 views
    Thumbnail for Adam Bellow on The New Threats to Freedom4:44
    Adam Bellow on The New Threats to Freedom
    ReasonVids
    828 views
    Thumbnail for Someone Found a Color 8mm Home Video from 1939 and the Quality is Amazing15:07
    Someone Found a Color 8mm Home Video from 1939 and the Quality is Amazing
    bestofpoal
    1312 views
    Thumbnail for Live Com The Chosen | Episódios 1 e 2 da Temporada Quatro Com Dublagem em Português | The Chosen Brasil3:55:34
    Live Com The Chosen | Episódios 1 e 2 da Temporada Quatro Com Dublagem em Português | The Chosen Brasil
    invidious
    271 views
    Thumbnail for Harry Potter 1 but AI Completely Destroyed It | Ai Ruins Everything3:28
    Harry Potter 1 but AI Completely Destroyed It | Ai Ruins Everything
    invidious
    114 views
    Thumbnail for @Joe_McCarthy's "Fuck and Suck" dream realized. - It will only cost him $4,000 USD to join.1:00
    @Joe_McCarthy's "Fuck and Suck" dream realized. - It will only cost him $4,000 USD to join.
    bestofupgoat
    237 views
    Thumbnail for Planning to Escape the Civil War | Live From The Lair19:27
    Planning to Escape the Civil War | Live From The Lair
    Terrence Popp
    1654 views

points

Permalink
Reply
libertarian
,
reason magazine
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reasontv
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle