*From: Bryce Covert/ thenation.com

Abstract:

**It’s no secret anymore (particularly since Obama's The-Private-Sector-Is-Doing-Fine-Gatehttp://www.thenation.com/blog/168313/romneys-all-wrong-public-sector-employment) that there have been huge numbers of government worker layoffs during the recovery. Many are rightly pointing out that this is only making the jobs crisis worse. But what’s behind those losses?

In a column at the New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/business/broken-trust-takes-time-to-mend-economic-view.htmlyesterday, Tyler Cowen suggested that it’s Americans’ lack of trust in government, which has been steadily eroding over recent decades. And he is certainly right that Americans are distrustful of their government. Approval ratings have been hitting record lows lately. In November, Congress was less popularhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/congress-approval-problem-in-one-chart/2011/11/15/gIQAkHmtON_blog.htmlthan the IRS, lawyers and BP during the oil spill, and it was tied with Hugo Chávez. **

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http://www.thenation.com/blog/168482/americans-want-keep-teachers-cops-and-f... *