I question this logic, not only in theory, but also in practice. This type of thinking would presume that those who are more familiar with the political system and current office-holders are more willing to offer their trust to the government. So in effect, those who see the corruption and secrecy of politicians (e.g., Rod Blogojevich, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumslfeld etc.) by some reach of the imagination are actually less intelligent.
In my personal opinion, this sentiment is precisely backwards. If I were to teach this class, I would argue that it is those with more political knowledge who are more likely to mistrust government.
It is so easy to assume that with the natural authority that any government presupposes, that what government does is in the best interest of the citizens. It is much more difficult to speak out against such an authority, calling special attention to the violations and alternative motives behind their every action.
It is imperative to democracy that we question our leaders, holding them personally responsible for the outcomes of their actions.
And here is why:
In the Milgram experiment, conducted by Stanley Milgram at Yale University, he set out to understand why Nazi soldiers had complied to Hitler's greusome and inhumane agenda. He set up his experiment with a confederate "learner" and random participant as "teacher." The teacher was to read a list of name pairs, which were then to be remembered by the learner in an effort to test the effects of punishment on learning, so far as the teacher was concerned. Everytime the learner answered incorrectly, the teacher was to administer a shock of progressively increasing voltage.
What the teacher was unaware of was the fact that this experiment was rigged; actually, the learner was not hooked up to any shock machine. Instead, he played a tape with pre-recorded responses to the increasing painful "shocks." The teacher could hear the yelps of the learner through a semi-soundproof wall, and their reactions were observed.
Time and time again, the teacher would stop administering the test and question the experimentor on the safety of the setup. As soon as it was firmly established that the experimentor was solely responsible for any harm to the learner, the teacher would more often than not administer the most lethal shock, sometimes even when the cries of the learner were no longer audible.
What the experiment exposed was that people were willing to comply with the will of an authority so long as their name was cleared of any misconduct. With the diffusion of responsibility inherent in this experiment, Milgram concluded that Nazi soldiers were deflecting their own sense of humanity on to an authoritative figure.
The lesson from this is to question authority. The participants in the Milgram experiment looked to the experimentor as a highly educated, well-to-do scientist running a study at Yale University. By nature of his status, they abandoned their own sense of morality and complied to the will of the experimentor, so long as personal responsibility was deflected to a higher authority. To say that those with less political knowledge is more likely to mistrust government completely contradicts these findings. In fact, it can be safely assumed that questioning an authoritative figure supposes individual responsibilty - something lacking in the Milgram experiment.
The experiment tolled a particularly fascinating effect on me; when I first heard of the conduct of the participants, I assumed that I myself would have complied to the will of the experimentor, so long as he claimed responsiblity for the damage. Since then, I have questioned the actions of those in authority over me.
Many would come under the false illusion that to question the actions and motivations behind governmental maneuvers is to espouse anti-patriotism - as if assuming that perhaps politicians are not always working in the best interests of the people is a far-fetched idea. But the Milgram experiment demonstrated that when we abandon our own sense of morality and intellect unto the responsibilty of an authority, we abandon our sense of being.
Milgram originally set out to understand how the Nazi soldiers could have possible committed such atrocities during WWII, and namely, the Holocaust. What he discovered was not that these young soldiers were mindless-drones, but rather, that they had handed over free-will in exchange for a remission of responsibility. This is my fear, and why rather than blindly vesting my faith in the "good intentions" of big government, I ask questions.
So, with respect to the health care overhaul, I question not only the intentions of politicians, but also the implications of establishing such a monstrosity of a bill and whether or not the benefits outweight the consequences.
The intentions of politicians are obvious (and always the same) - reelection. Previous entries of mine have established why I don't believe the health care reforms will actually help anyone. The implications, however, are far more reaching.
Inflation is always the same - printing money increases the money supply, which devalues the dollar, which eventually drives costs up. There is a healthy level of inflation for any growing economy, but it is usually around 2-3%, not upwards of 6% that we saw last September after the bailouts. On top of that is the health care bill - another billion dollar shopping-spree that our economy can't even begin to comprehend. This doesn't help anyone - this kind of inflation makes 5 years down the road very difficult, especially for the middle class.
Now bring this logic one step further - how does America fix this downward spiral of spending and debt? My prediction... by establishing a VAT tax. Nearly every other developed country employs one, mainly because their socialistic federal programs need to be funded somehow. Look at the rates of some of our "democratic friends:"
Denmark: 25%
Germany: 19%
India: 12.5%
Israel: 16%
Sweden: 25
U.K.: 17.5% (standard)
The difference, for Americans, however, is that we live under a Federal system; we pay both a federal and state income tax, a payroll tax, and state and local taxes. A federal VAT tax added to these and the US will have the highest tax rates in the world - a tough feat to accomplish considering our competition.
There are three lessons in all of this:
1. Think for yourself
2. Don't believe what you hear
3. Question authority
Being a patriot involves much more than the diligent acceptance of government's words as truth; the most patriotic people understand both intentions and implications are not afraid to speak out against the contradictory agendas of politicians, Republican and Democratic, alike. To conclude that the least politically intelligent are the most likely to mistrust government is to undermine how precious a commodity like trust can be.
This is an insult to those brave enough to think for themselves everywhere.
