"But for our economy and society to function, participants must trust that the system is reasonably fair. Trust between individuals is usually reciprocal. But if I think that you are cheating me, it is more likely that I will retaliate, and try to cheat you. (These notions have been well developed in a branch of economics called the “theory of repeated games.”) When Americans see a tax system that taxes the wealthiest at a fraction of what they pay, they feel that they are fools to play along. All the more so when the wealthiest are able to move profits off shore. The fact that this can be done without breaking the law simply shows Americans that the financial and legal systems are designed by and for the rich.
As the trust deficit persists, a deeper rot takes hold: Attitudes and norms begin to change. When no one is trustworthy, it will be only fools who trust. The concept of fairness itself is eroded. A study published last year by the National Academy of Sciences suggests that the upper classes are more likely to engage in what has traditionally been considered unethical behavior. Perhaps this is the only way for some to reconcile their worldview with their outlandish financial success, often achieved through actions that reveal a kind of moral deprivation.
It’s hard to know just how far we’ve gone down the path toward complete trust disintegration, but the evidence is not encouraging."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/21/in-no-one-we-trust/?_r=0
This is the heart of much of my commentary. If you want what is best for the US you have to argue with the erosion of trust.
Someone like Snowden isn't the problem. The problem is that a huge and secret entity came into existence which the electorate knew nothing about. This was untrustworthy government. There was no information base upon which to make a decision if the level of surveillance was reasonable. In fact, the deck was stacked against privacy.
Same with the financial markets, which were based on an unregulated, self-centric view of the universe. And so, inevitably, they collapsed.
The problem with trusted computing is that it has deferred to authority, and so it is no longer creating a trust matrix. Different users are treated unequally. So it is developing a subtle hierarchy. One main reason it hasn't been adopted is that it is perceived as an instrument of control. And control is inimical to the folks who are under control.
Without trust, in a society in which reciprocity and altruism are abandoned, value is not sustainable.
If you wish for what is best for the US, you reject the things that are bad for it.
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