Low regard for government

Back in 2003, 30 percent of Americans surveyed said in a Gallup poll that the federal government had become so big and powerful that it was an immediate threat to the liberties of ordinary citizens.

But in a Gallup poll a few weeks ago, that figure had risen to a far more alarming 49 percent!

The same recent poll found broad disapproval of the way that the United States is currently being governed.

Specifically, 81 percent of the people surveyed said they are not satisfied with how our country is being governed. That number is a record high.

Breaking the numbers down by party, 92 percent of Republicans said America's governance is unsatisfactory, and 65 percent of Democrats said the same. (Democrats control the presidency and the U.S. Senate; Republicans control the House of Representatives.)

Fifty-seven percent of the people surveyed said the federal government cannot solve our domestic problems, and 43 percent said Washington cannot solve international problems.

And of particular relevance in this time of massive national debt, Americans on average feel that slightly more than half of every dollar they pay in federal taxes is wasted by government.

If this profound lack of confidence in Washington does not get the attention of the president and Congress, we're not sure what will.

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