Since LBJ most have trusted government one time

Then there are those 4 out of 5 Americans — free of any ailments that inhibit rational thinking — who trust government "some of the time or never." This distrust is at a near a historic low — or historic high, depending on how a person views such things.

News of the Pew poll triggered much hand-wringing from enlightened scribblers, unable to comprehend how the "paranoid" electorate wasn't appropriately enchanted by the Department of Commerce. But as Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill put it, "Distrust of government is an all-American activity. It's something we do as Americans and there's nothing wrong with it."

Indeed. Actually, with another ideological perspective, you could easily see the Pew poll as positively uplifting. The survey, after all, finds that Americans have an increasingly healthy attitude, embracing limited government over an "activist government" which, according to a majority, "has gone too far in regulating business and interfering with the free enterprise system."

So an alternative national headline for the "trust" story might have read: "More and more, citizens turn to free enterprise over regulation."

It would be unfair not to point out also that our "trust" in federal government first began declining during the Johnson administration which, among other things, promised everything and delivered little. Since then, the trust rating of Washington has only once broken through the magic 50 percent level (and that was after 9/11).

63 % favor ouster of most Congress members; poll shows anti-incumbent sentiment building

One year out from midterm elections, anti-incumbent sentiment is approaching its highest level in two decades, according to a poll released Wednesday by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

The survey found that 53 percent of Americans said most members of Congress should not be reelected, compared with just 34 percent who said most members should be reelected.

Fifty-two percent would like to see their own representatives reelected in 2010, while 29 percent want them out of office, according the Pew poll.

The last time voter sentiment was this negative was during the 2006 and 1994 election cycles — years in which the party in power suffered huge losses in midterm elections. In June 2006, 57 percent did not want to see most representatives reelected, while 29 percent wanted to see them stay in office. In October 1994, 56 percent of voters said they would not like to see most members of Congress reelected, while 28 percent would.

Only 37 % view Democrat congress favorably

"Slightly more than one-third of Americans have a favorable opinion of the Democratic-led Congress, a new poll said Wednesday in a clear warning to the majority party.

The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press said the 37 percent expressing a positive opinion represents a decline of 13 points since April.

The favorable percentage is one of the lowest in more than two decades of Pew surveys—if not the lowest, the poll said. The previous low was 40 percent in January, but the difference is not statistically significant because of the margin of error.

The overall percentage wasn't the only warning for Democrats.

The poll found a major drop in intentions to vote Democratic in next year's midterm elections. Forty-five percent of respondents said they would vote for a Democratic candidate in their district or lean Democratic, while 44 percent said they would vote or lean Republican. Four years ago the numbers favored Democrats 52 percent to 40 percent, as the party went on to gain control of Congress.

The bad news for Democrats isn't a bonanza for Republicans. The survey found that favorable ratings for the GOP remain low at 40 percent."