A matter of trust

Today's quotable quote comes from Karl Denninger:

Trust requires accountability.  When the only accountability that lawmakers and executives have is to those writing the checks from industries and other interest groups and not to the people ... there should be no surprise when the influence and trust by the people toward the government fades into insignificance.  What follows next, unfortunately, if government does not cut this crap out is the fact that distrust quickly becomes contempt and revulsion.

Those in DC and in State Governments ought to contemplate that, because among those of us who are willing and able to start new enterprises and employ people -- myself included -- have already largely thrown up our hands and refused to do so as a direct and proximate result of this lack of accountability. This is why our economy is moribund and refuses to recover and no amount of force from government can change that.  Only a restoration of trust can solve that problem.

Government exists only with the consent of and funding by the governed.  Without the former you wind up with anarchy and potentially revolution.  But without the latter government is left with only the ability to try to bribe people with their own money, which never works for long because without productive people willingly paying taxes the emission of unbacked currency or credit takes as much out of the pockets of alleged "recipients" as it "gives" them, in real time.  It cannot be otherwise as arithmetic always trumps politics and when this scam sinks into the skulls of the people the consequence is exactly what we are seeing now.

Trust also requires community -- a mutual sense of obligation to something larger than oneself.  That is sadly lacking in today's iSociety.  Selfish gain and groupthink special interests are placed ahead of the commonwealth (a term you don't hear often anymore).  As a result, those who have something they could contribute are withdrawing, to protect as much as they can from the plague of locusts devouring what used to be a prosperous nation.  This robs society of one of its greatest assets: the creativity and industriousness of individuals.

Changing the ruling faction won't fix that.  Only getting the monkey of government back in its proper cage will.