Essay 12

Divided government is when the presidency and congress are from different political parties, which forms a split in our government.  This can lead to a decline of trust and confidence because many of the policies are not agreed on, creating tension and often leading to gridlock or less policy change.  Our society might start to believe that the government doesn't have the ability to pass necessary legislation and keep our government under control, then they start to lose their trust.  The increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in our government because of the perception that they are wasting good money by spending it on things that people believe isn't helping or influencing their election.  This can also lead to a majority of the population believing that you must be a wealth or elite person to be successful in the government or in choosing who you would like to vote for.  Consequences of decline in trust in our government can be decreased voting, increase in protesting, and an increase in independents or third-parties (which could be considered positive or negative).  A decrease in voting could occur because people might think that their vote won't make a difference or it would only be a choice between two wealthy elites, whom they can't relate to.  Many of these reasons can lead to protest because people might think they aren't given a fair option, and they can only resort to protest to try and get their opinions heard. 

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3) Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades.
(a) Explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. Be sure to include a definition of divided government in your response
(b) Explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government.
(c) Explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior. 
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