America’s Failing Grades – We Have Lost Trust In Much of America

Welcome to Thursday, time for some cultural reflection.

But first, a shout out to our local advertisers and small business operators as well as the men and women of Bravo Company and the Yakima Training Center...you'll see why in a moment.

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Words of wisdom from a founding father and an old Turkish Proverb.

Simple And True

First up, Thomas Jefferson in 1775:

It behooves you, therefore, to think and act for yourself and your people. The great principles of right and wrong are legible to every reader; to pursue them requires not the aid of many counselors. The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest. Only aim to do your duty, and mankind will give you credit where you fail

And now the Turkish Proverb:

When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace becomes a circus

We Just Want The Truth

Do you see the connection?  An all too often refrain - "It's complicated."

While that may be true, it's no excuse.  The clarity of black & white, Jefferson's principles of right and wrong, have been replaced with the confusion, uncertainty, and murkiness of more than 50 shades of political grey.

Today, Jefferson's call for honesty depends on what "is" is.  Makes me wonder how our third President would react to these recent poll results from Gallup showing the Presidency, Supreme Court, and Congress all at all-time lows in public confidence.

Overall confidence in U.S. institutions hit an all-time low in a Gallup poll...with only 27 percent of Americans expressing “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in 14 major U.S. institutions. Gallup noted that the finding is 3 points below the prior low in 2014, adding that trust in major institutions has been in trouble for the past 15 years

Congress, meanwhile, saw a 5-point drop, to 7 percent.  Think about that. We elect them, but we don't trust them, we don't have faith in them for what they do and don't do, we can turn them out, and yet we almost never do.  Look in the mirror for a major part of that problem.

Salute and Shop

The survey conducted from June 1 to June 20 among 1,015 adults showed the only institutions that registered confidence from a majority of Americans were small businesses and the military.  Shop local, thank a soldier, and help turn this mess around.  Start with some of that Jeffersonian honesty