Trust in government is appallingly (or appealingly?) low

WASHINGTON (AP) - Public distrust of government is limiting the push for tighter federal regulations even in the wake of regulatory lapses that contributed to the financial meltdown, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and April's deadly coal mine explosion.

These disasters would seem likely candidates for nudging the public's appetite for regulation, which typically ebbs and flows, toward the pro-oversight side.

But notwithstanding a financial overhaul bill that squeaked through Congress, Republicans still rail against government regulation as if the home-loan catastrophe and BP oil spill never happened. Democrats, meanwhile, often tiptoe around the subject, fearful of being labeled anti-free enterprise.

The reason, Democrats and government analysts say, is that the public's desire for better regulations to protect consumers is trumped by a stronger dislike of the only power that can reasonably conduct such efforts: the government.

"People's trust in government is appallingly low," said Matt Bennett of Third Way, a Democratic-leaning group that researches numerous issues.