Trust

People trust business less this year…now that’s a surprise, right? Edelman PR has come out with their annual 10th Annual Trust Barometer, and it appears that the world is trusting everyone less these days. Trust in corporations is down, trust in information sources is down and as a result, this lack of trust is triggering a desire for more government regulation. In their global sample of 25 to 64 year olds, “by a three to one margin respondents say that government should intervene to regulate industry.” They go on to add that “in the United States, not even half (49%) say that the free market should be allowed to function independently.

In a related piece, today’s Wall Street Journal, one of my favorite writers, Daniel Henninger, deals in his opinion column with the lack of optimism in the US.

This week's NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds President Obama with a 60% approval. That's high alright, as in high anxiety: 44% say the nation is "off on the wrong track," 41% see it headed in the right direction, and 15% of respondents are in a gray fog.
I have a poll question: Has anyone in America had a single upbeat conversation about anything the past three weeks?

So how do we change this mindset in the country? This is starting to remind me of the Jimmy Carter days of “malaise.” This change won’t come from the government and goodness knows it won’t come from the big companies…so where will it come from? To me, it will come from us…the entrepreneurs who have been and will be the engine of growth for our country.