#Winning: Record Low 7 Percent of Americans Have Confidence in Congress!

Out of Gallup's regular list of American institutions, only the police (53 percent), small business (62 percent), and the military (74 percent) poll above 50 percent. And the military is actually down from a recent high of 82 percent in 2009.

For more information, go here.

Comments

[rts]

So... 53% of people have had no interaction with police, I take it.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

I was pulled over again two weekends ago with my pregnant wife and two year old in the car.

I received a warning and let go. Perhaps there is one good cop out there.

[Protagoronus]

Yeah, but you were detained by force. Were you harming anyone?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

I don't think so, but I wasn't shot in front of my wife and son, so small victory.

[Protagoronus]

That cop is a hero.

[thom]

That cop put his life in danger.

[sarcasmic]

Congress sucks! They all suck! Who did I vote for? Well, uh, my Congressmen aren't that bad, so I voted for them again. It's all the other ones who suck!

[Mongo]

Yeah, right after Reason ran their nearly-all-incumbents-will-be-reelected article.

[Anomalous]

^THIS^

[Kaptious Kristen]

I'm surprised at the police one. I would think it would be much higher, given the media (especially local media) loves to fellate the cops to completion.

[Paul.]

Me too. Did anyone click through and see if the police numbers are stable, rising or falling?

[Kaptious Kristen]

On a downward trend since '05. Gallup only started measuring in 1994, and that year was the lowest (52%)

[NewWorldDan]

Enough people have had bad experiences with the police. Compare that to firemen, though. Everyone loves firemen because it's their job to pull your ass out of a burning building and they don't hand out speeding tickets.

About the only institution that beats out fire departments and the military in terms of favorability ratings are public libraries.

[Paul.]

Record Low 7 Percent of Americans Have Confidence in Congress! Other Peoples' Representatives

Fixed.

[NewWorldDan]

My representative sucks. I didn't vote fore her. Of course, my candidates never win because I keep voting for the LP.

[Almanian!]

good!

[Notorious G.K.C.]

So, more confidence in the government's enforcement arms than in the federal legislative body.

But it's Congress which assigns the military and the cops so much of their work!

[Restoras]

And almost everyone loves their congress critters, so basicallly everyone hates everyone elses critters.

Carry on.

[SPG_900]

The police one is depressing but not suprising. Fortunately, the public school one makes up for it.

[sarcasmic]

Crime is at an all time low. Well, crime with victims anyway. So it wouldn't surprise me if roughly half the population hasn't been a victim of a crime or been accused of one.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

So 7% of Americans are either contrarians or insane.

[Almanian!]

Insane Contrarians - good band name

[MP]

How the hell can you publish this stat without publishing the incumbent re-election rate right next to it?

It's such a fucking meaningless stat anyhow.

[AdamJ]

If you think about it, congress is divided so no one gets what they want. Half the people hate congress because Republicans and the other half cuz Democrats. So we have that combined with shitty economic conditions, foreign policy, etc. both sides are sure their way is right, but both are impossible to attain politically. And of course, both are wrong.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Congressional popularity has always been pretty near the basement.

[db]

Every five years or so, there should be a confidence election, in which voters are randomly assigned a representative from a distant geographical area, along with a dossier on that representative's votes, fundraising sources, and "accomplishments" such as laws proposed and/or passed, total federal funding allocated to their district, etc.

Each voter gives an up/down vote on their assigned representative. If the rep gets less than 33% favorable, they are immediately removed from office. 33%-49%, they become term limited and are barred from running after the natural end of their current term. Net positive review, they get handed a big bonus check and a two-term limit pending future positive reviews.

[Christophe]

The up/down would be perfectly split based on party affiliation. Nothing would be achieved.

[db]

I don't know. You're assuming that there are no voters not affiliated with major parties.

[Robert]

People would vote them no confidence just so their own reps would have greater seniority.

[thom]

Or in each off year, take a national vote on whether the current Congress should be dismissed from office. If over 50% of the voters say to dismiss the Congress, no Congresspersons are eligible to run for office the next year.

[thom]

Further, one week before the vote takes place have the current Congress take an up or down vote of confidence in the President of the United States. If the President loses he would immediately and unceremoniously be removed from office.

[db]

I like this.

[Vampire]

"I like it"
They said the same crap about "this new republic" and "constitution" that would limit the govt and protect liberty........that didn't turn out well.

No matter what you do, the very idea of a state in itself is and must survive through violence. No amount of fixing or rearranging will ensure individuals are free, as the state is slavery as it forces individuals to work for the benefit of others with no real choice or voice. "Hey guy, you get to wait four years with the hopes of electing someone else who might not engage in theft".

Even the first second of theft is damned wrong, never mind 4 years. If someone broke in your house, would you let them rob for a minute, a day, four years? You probably would defend yourself and your property the moment it happens. That is the chance free individuals, in a free society get. Instead of under the "we need govt" crowd where that sonofabish is going to be there until clueless folks that subject everyone to slavery through voting finally realize "oh shit they're now in my house...so now because it affects me must we stop the thief"

[Warty]

How can it possibly be that high? Nobody likes Congress. For that matter, how are any of the ratings so high? 29% percent of people have confidence in the presidency, 53% in police, 26% in public schools. Ridiculous.

[Pro Libertate]

I dunno, we probably have 26% of our population either working in the public school system or assuming that they will be, with that degree in Etruscan Sexual Mystery Practices.

[Warty]

OK, fine, but 53% for the police? Doesn't anyone read Balko?

[Pro Libertate]

It's a fear-based result. Congressmen don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose.

[Whahappan?]

Most people aren't us. It's pretty hard to resist the cradle to grave propaganda fellating police from government, media and academia.

[Loki]

26% in public schools

That one's easy to explain: 1 in 4 people are retarded. Retards probably love public schools.

What congress' 7% rating really means is that even most retards realize congress sucks.

[Pro Libertate]

Seven percent. There is seven percent of the population who believe that Congress is secretly acting under the control of space aliens from the sixth planet orbiting Vega. I mean that specific planet. Seven percent believe anything.

[Warty]

There's a 7% chance your kids are actually yours. ZING

[Pro Libertate]

That's crap, because I have the bill.

[toolkien]

Let's be serious. It doesn't matter what you think of Congress or government as a whole. They've got it gerrymandered pretty much into balance, though they do go off the reservation against each once in a while (and of course when the Dems are in power over the districting not a word is said, but when the Repubs change the districting while in power, it's news). And the independents switch back and forth at a predictable rate that helps keep everything in balance in the long run. Elections don't make a difference at all. The partisans have their districts sewn up and the independents make a small difference back and forth. And nothing really changes. People hate the powers that be, and they pick the "lesser of two evils" to send into the mix, which is just how the power elite want it. If you push out one guy, they've got an inventory of clones to plug right on in.

[Robert]

The actual sorting at every stage of candidate selection is done by a very small number of people actually seeing something good in a candidate, and the rest is bandwagon effect, i.e. limiting your own tiny influence to choosing among those who look like they are or will be the choice of large numbers of other people.

Consider the succession of trivia that got Harry Truman from being a non-politician to the White House. If Harry fucking Truman could become president, that's proof that anyone (in the sense of a lottery) can get into any office, and then usu. stay there as long as they want.

[Mongo]

Only 6% have little or no confidence in our military? Confidence to do whut?

[anon]

Damn, almost 8%.

[Mauser]

I wish I could say the congressmen from my district are one of the few that don't suck, but alas it's not to be,
They Suck.

[Mauser]

I'm in the extreme minority (6%) who don't have confidence in the empires legionnaires.

[Whahappan?]

Not to defend the Military as an institution, but but I think this represents the public's respect for the sacrifice and dedication of the rank and file, not necessarily endorsement of the missions they are sent on. Personally, I think the loyalty, trust and sacrifice of the members of the military are misplaced in the "leadership" of the country.

[Mauser]

Good point, however I find it hard to support the troops when almost all our foreign interventions in the last 70 years were built upon shady dealings, the military industrial complex (cronyism at its worst) and various coups, and wars that were unconstitutional,
In other words-if a potential recruit does his or her's research before enlisting then it should be quite obvious to them that they are supporting a corrupt, overreaching federal monster addicted to war, with the support of the war industry, Sorry, I just can't support them.

[Bush League]

And sadly, the disapproval comes from the fact that congress is "doing nothing."

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