For a number of years now, the news has been filled with stories about the people’s dissatisfaction with government at all levels. At the federal level, the controversy over healthcare regulation, so-called Obama-care, is the leading topic of congressional debate. It is among the primary reasons for the Republican resurgence in the mid-term elections.

The budget deficit, the administration of the Social Security Trust Fund and the viability of the Medicare system and illegal immigration are also topics of great concern and debate.

At the state level the killing of a Woburn police officer by a paroled triple-life-sentenced career criminal was catalyst for the sacking of nearly the entire parole board and public outrage and calls for eliminating parole all together. The unseemly firing of the very effective Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs Retired Navy Captain Tom Kelley, a Medal of Honor recipient, to be replaced by a Democratic Party hack, has sent the veterans community into paroxysm of rage. Corruption and careerism in the Legislature, real and perceived, has driven taxpayers to distraction.

At the state and local level, the inability of state and local governments to deal with budget issues including public employee compensation and benefits has fueled more voter resentment. There seems to be no truth in criminal sentencing, no enforcement of existing laws for illegal gun possession, drunk driving, immigration issues and so on.

Each of these issues is, in and of itself, serious, but collectively they are really symptomatic of a much more serious problem for our democracy. People have lost, or are losing all faith and trust in our government to do the right thing. They are coming to believe that even when the “government” wants to do the right thing it lacks the ability to do anything right. The perception is bad intent coupled with incompetence. The taxpayers correctly feel put upon. Taxpayers feel they are getting short value for long money. Something must be done to correct this situation or we feel something sinister may occur. Widespread distrust of all government leaves us vulnerable to demagoguery and extreme movements that promise to fix all problems and restore order in the public sector. History is replete with stories of the systemic breakdown of formerly stable governments when they lose the trust and respect of the governed.

We’ve outlined the symptoms, now what is the cure? How do our leaders restore the faith of our citizens? There would appear to be few treatments and only a prognosis for gradual recovery. First we need and should demand transparency at every level of government. We must demand that leaders meet regularly with the media for the hard give and take of real press conferences. At the state level we need a constitutional amendment to do away with a full time career Legislature and replace it with what most states have, a part time legislature compensated with stipends and expenses only. We must drive political careerism out of Beacon Hill. We must demand that judges enforce the law by further restricting judicial discretion in such things as enforcing gun laws, making life sentences mean life, by enacting legislation to put third felony conviction criminals away for long periods of time, if not life without parole. We must restore sanity to public employee compensation to save needed public sector jobs and to put these public servants on an economic par with their private sector contemporaries.

As in a marriage where there has been infidelity, restoration of faith and trust will take a long period of time and many discussions.

Failure in marriage leads to divorce. Failure in our relationship with our government could lead to a really messy divorce that we may all regret. As citizens we can not take a pass on this. We need to stay informed and engaged or there will be no improvement. The choice is ours.