“Distrust of government isn’t baseless cynicism. It’s realism.” – Ben Shapiro
We have seen the truth of this aphorism made clear many times over the past year. Lawlessness on the part of the national government is virtually institutionalized. The latest example occurred earlier this week as the Justice Department declared parents protesting the institution of Critical Racism Race Theory being taught to their children as “domestic terrorists.” It is a clear attempt to criminalize political dissent, a process that began with the treatment of the January 6 protestors.
But in the larger sense, it does not matter whether those in government are Republicans or Democrats, your friends or your foes, or whether we are talking about government on the federal, state, or local level. You should never trust your government. Even (or perhaps especially) when you agree with their actions, never blindly accept them. Always check what they are doing and verify that they are doing what they said they would do – and that it is actually what should be done. Certainly that is what I do on the local level, where I am politically active and several local politicians are friends. They may be friends, but because they are politicians, I still don’t trust them.
It was my initial mistrust of Donald Trump, watching what he did, checking his actions, that led to my concluding he was the real deal, worthy of my support, and despite his flaws, my respect. Despite this, even to this day I do not “trust” him. I still monitor, observe, and assess, even as I support him.
Note that distrust does not mean Ahab-like obsession with rooting out an individual’s fault and flaws. It means always maintaining a healthy skepticism of an individual’s or organization’s actions and motivations. It’s like another old saying: “Is he honest? Sure, he’s honest. You just have to keep an eye on him, that’s all.”
When people fail to maintain that attitude towards government it ultimately and always leads to authoritarianism and excesses.
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