As part of that trust-building, the speaker pointed out, one of the tests the career civil service needed to pass was to help keep new appointees out of difficulty with ethics laws. The trust issue really should not surprise anyone. Successful dealings of any type are based on trust. Unfortunately, the statistics show citizens trust in their government is perilously low. In 1998, the level of citizen trust in their government was half of what it was in the 1960s, and at least one survey showed that it dropped 10 percentage points from 1998 to 1999.
Cynicism is the great enemy of democracy.
It is exceedingly difficult for public officials to govern when their character, values and motives are always suspect. Hamilton s words tie directly to the test mentioned at the council s luncheon, because those in public service must be above even the appearance of reproach. And the fact is that so many get themselves into difficulty so easily. Clearly, public service can be a deeply gratifying experience, but it is also tricky. The rules of engagement are different from those found anywhere else.