The Moral Decay of the American State The numbers are stark and undeniable — a damning indictment of the moral and institutional rot at the heart of the American political system. In 1958, a full 73% of Americans expressed trust in their government to “do what’s right”. Today, that figure has plummeted to a mere 20%
Because they're idealists: the point of the system, on their view, is to embody the Best Ideas, not to actually help people or do things. The American system is good even if everyone is poor and miserable because liberal democracy is a Good Idea, and that Chinese system is bad even if people are happy and comfortable because Communism is a Bad Idea. Material analysis never even gets considered: Western system good, other systems bad.