Government as a Special Interest Group

Is the current form of democracy doomed?

Only 21% of American voters believe that the federal government enjoys the consent of the governed. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that seventy-one percent (71%) of all voters now view the federal government as a special interest group, and 70% believe that the government and big business typically work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors.

However, 63% of the Political Class think the government has the consent of the governed, but only six percent (6%) of those with Mainstream views agree.

In his new book, In Search of Self-Governance, Scott Rasmussen observes that “the gap between Americans who want to govern themselves and the politicians who want to rule over them may be as big today as the gap between the colonies and England during the 18th century.”

I would be curious to know the results of similar polls organized in European countries.


Read the post in the Rasmussen Reports.

Hat tip: Roger Congleton via Tyler Cowen.