Trust in federal government falling, and with good reason

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To the editor:

If you have not read the Declaration of Independence, you should do so. It states all of the reasons we (the united colonies) declared our independence from England. The “he” that is referred to in the following paragraph is King George III of England.

The 12th paragraph reads as follows: “He has erected a multitude of new offices and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.”

In a literal sense, this is what our own government is doing to us now. I don’t know when it started, but it seems to have accelerated over the past 60 years.

They have been creating new agencies and using our taxes to fund them. I tried to count them but found it easier to just scroll down the list and shake my head.

Do you know that we have 16 agencies associated with defense? Or how about the Radio and TV Marti Agency? Radio Marti was established in 1983 and TV Marti in 1990. Since their inception, they have cost taxpayers $500 million and currently cost us $30 million a year.

You ask, what is Radio and TV Marti? They broadcast half-hour propaganda news and programs aimed at creating dissent with Cuba. This has not been very successful in overthrowing the Castro regime as they are still in power after 32 years.

The really scary thing about these agencies is that they make laws and rules that they enforce.

The making of laws is the job of Congress and not some federal agency. If you break one of their laws or rules, you are summoned before that agency that then becomes prosecutor, jury and judge.

Your only recourse is to hire an attorney and take your case to one of the federal courts. In all probability, you will lose not only your case but also a great deal of money.

American government isn’t supposed to work this way. A Gallup poll in 1964 had 76 percent responding that the federal government could be trusted always or most of the time.

In the most recent poll conducted in 2014, it had dwindled to 13 percent. To paraphrase JFK, “Ask not what your country can do for you but what are they doing to you!”

To see a list, Google federal agencies or check out Wikipedia.org.

Jerry Makela

Greenfield