Record-High 62% Say U.S. Government Has Too Much Power

(news.gallup.com)

40 points | by giuliomagnifico a day ago ago

27 comments

  • spicyusername 20 hours ago ago

    This administration exactly why checks and balances are supposed to exist in the first place.

    • 18 hours ago ago
      [deleted]
  • jleyank a day ago ago

    sigh The US government, at the moment, seems powerless and is being dismembered. It's been replaced by an imperial system that echoes what got the whole thing started.

    • smokeydoe a day ago ago

      I see it being cut up and sold off wholesale.

    • ElectronCharge a day ago ago

      I see just the opposite. This current administration is trying to prevent the kinds of authoritarian excesses and illegal acts that occurred under BHO and JRB from ever happening again.

      Perhaps America will once again be a place with "freedom and justice for all"!

      • acdha a day ago ago

        > This current administration is trying to prevent the kinds of authoritarian excesses and illegal acts that occurred under BHO and JRB from ever happening again.

        It’s telling that you didn’t mention these alleged excesses or explain your argument that concentrating power in the executive while removing safeguards somehow prevents future abuse. Without a coherent argument and supporting evidence, it’s hard to see how this will lead to a useful conversation.

      • jleyank a day ago ago

        Free countries are not ruled by decree.

        • ElectronCharge a day ago ago

          America has a strong executive, as mandated by the Constitution.

          We'll have a much better idea of how things are going by the 2026 midterms. Then our democratic republic can vote accordingly. :-)

          • jleyank a day ago ago

            All levers of the government, as I understand it, are controlled by the President's party. This would seem to suggest that the normal mechanism of passing laws and budgets would be straightforward, eliminating the need to rule by decree. As this does not seem to be happening, it suggests the US government is inoperative with all control ceded legally or otherwise to the executive.

            Hence my decree comment.

            • ElectronCharge 21 hours ago ago

              I'm not sure of your understanding of America's government.

              Conservatives control all three branches of government to an extent. The Senate GOP doesn't have 60 members, so the Dems can block legislation (the GOP hasn't invoked the "nuclear option" that would prevent that). That's why there's a government shutdown, 100% of that is on the Dems.

              The Supreme Court exists only to interpret law in terms of constitutionality. Even with a conservative majority, it shouldn't, and almost certainly won't, violate the Constitution.

              As I said above, events leading up to the midterms, and the midterms themselves, will determine the way forward...quite democratically. :-)

              • j79 19 hours ago ago

                > That's why there's a government shutdown, 100% of that is on the Dems.

                Back in my day, the filibuster existed to encourage compromise. The idea that this is "100%" on the Dems is absolutely ridiculous.

                There's not much I agree with Trump on, but I do agree with what he said back in 2013: "A shutdown means the president is weak."

                Mr. "Art of the Deal" really makes the best deals.

              • greggoB 21 hours ago ago

                > 100% of that is on the Dems

                How do you figure? Or is the presumption that the GOP compromising by not (further) gutting healthcare subsidies just accepted as wishful thinking at this point?

                > almost certainly won't, violate the Constitution

                They arguably already have [0]

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_v._United_States

          • bitfilped 18 hours ago ago

            If you think we're having elections in 2026 you're wildly out of tough with reality.

      • danielbln a day ago ago

        The fact that these opinions exist in earnest and without a hint of sarcasm is why we shake our heads in disgust and disbelief over the pond here. Good lord.

        • ElectronCharge 21 hours ago ago

          [flagged]

          • maest 16 hours ago ago

            You are woefully misinformed. There are protests initiated by fringe right wingers, but even those fringe right wingers would be approximately centrists in the US. Virtually nobody wants a DJT-like figure in the UK, for many reasons.

            I'd be more critical of the news sources I consumed, if I were you.

          • danielbln 21 hours ago ago

            I still can't fully tell if this is satire or delusion.

            • __s 19 hours ago ago

              If it's satire they've been running the joke for a long time

      • conception 12 hours ago ago
      • watwut a day ago ago

        America will be autocracy. Current administration is dismantling last protections of democracy. There are people who dont want it to happen and those who want it to happen.

  • nullc 19 hours ago ago

    and 98% support expanding those powers every time 'their team' is in power as if the situation could never change.

    • silexia 19 hours ago ago

      You are exactly right. We all need to realize that the left misused government power against the right just as Trump is now misusing it against the left.

      I hope people retain these opinions of government power when their "side" gets back into power and they use that power to shrink the government so much that this cannot happen again in our lifetimes.

      • lern_too_spel 17 hours ago ago

        > We all need to realize that the left misused government power against the right

        How? The arguments I've heard require both of the following to be true:

        1. Medical misinformation is a cornerstone of political thought in the right instead of non-politically-aligned anti-scientific nonsense.

        2. The government suggesting to media companies that they limit the spread of that misinformation, and those media companies voluntarily implementing systems that do so in order to keep their customers and employees from dying, constitutes government coercion of speech.

        • hhhhjjj 13 hours ago ago

          House arresting the population for a few years and shutdown any discussion... Yea, def not a misuse of power...

          • Moomoomoo309 3 hours ago ago

            You do realize all of those things initially happened before Jan 6th, 2021, when DJT was president? This is the pot calling the kettle black here. As for the free speech chilling, the current administration has targeted people who talk ill of the president, which is a much more direct and egregious chilling effect on speech than what happened during the lockdown. Biden's admin did no such thing. Platforms may have taken down alleged "misinformation" (which they are also doing for the current admin, too!), but the Biden admin didn't target anyone who talked ill of him or his admin. If you have counter examples, feel free to provide them.

          • mindslight 11 hours ago ago

            Neither of those happened. Less than half of states had bona fide stay at home orders with the force of law, and they certainly did not last years.

            (Many states put out "stay at home orders" that in fact were merely strongly worded suggestions when it came to individuals)

        • potato3732842 14 hours ago ago

          This is exactly the sort stuff the top level comment was complaining about.

          Regardless of what team you're on if you can't come up with a few things that were done that were bad and a bunch more things that were said and advocated for by politicians that were way worse then you are the problem.