In Defense of Distrust in Government

Cato, as is their wont, has been churning out some goooood stuff in the face of all this rising statism. To wit, Gene Healy has this great piece explaining that a loss of faith in their leaders is a good thing for Americans:

When political trust declines, the D.C. cognoscenti typically wring their hands and hold earnest conferences at the Brookings Institution, exploring how best to restore the people's faith in their rulers.

But, as usual, the political elites have it precisely backwards. Declining trust in government is a good thing, something that Americans of every political stripe ought to celebrate.

I’d tweak him on that, though: I’m pretty sure that the D.C. cognoscenti only wring their hands when Democrats are the subject of the scorn. For GOP hatred, Dissent Is the Highest Form of Patriotism.