Steve Rossiter ——Bio and Archives--January 20, 2026

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In 1958 when the poll was started, Pew Research reported that 73% of Americans had confidence in the United States government. However, in 2025, Pew Research shows that only 17% of Americans have confidence in government. I am assuming this data zeros in on the elected officials of government since they are the nominal decision makers for “government.”

Ballotpedia reports that in January 2026, the congressional approval rating is a whopping 15%, meaning that 85% of Americans are not happy with what Congress is doing or failing to do.

"Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder." ~ George Washington

As indicated in the Washington quote above and other writings of the founders, the Founding Fathers were well aware of historic human weaknesses. So, some level of corruption has probably been a part of the American political scene from the get-go. However, it has only been in the last 50 years or so that a pauper could get elected to Congress and in just one or two terms become a millionaire on a $174,000 annual congressional salary. That doesn’t pass the smell test.

To date only about 23% of Congress has signed on to cosponsor a Term Limits constitutional amendment bill. This fact suggests the main reason so few in Congress want to see term limits imposed is because it would break their corruption rice bowl.

"This [the U.S. Constitution] is likely to be administered for a course of years and then end in........

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