09/06/2026
Behind me people are protesting. That should tell you something.
Buildings like this are supposed to represent trust. The idea that even when we disagree we still believe the system basically works.
But that belief is getting harder to find.
Trust in the federal government is near historic lows. Confidence in major institutions has been below 30% for five straight years.
Nearly nine out of ten Americans say corruption is widespread in government. Gallup published that number two days ago.
A country doesn’t become unstable the moment people get angry.
It becomes unstable when people stop believing the rules themselves are legitimate.
When losing feels rigged. When courts stop feeling neutral. When institutions stop feeling like they belong to you.
That is a different kind of fracture.
Because once people stop asking how do we fix this and start asking why should I believe in it at all something has already broken.
Not the government.
The belief holding it together.