What would the U.S. federal government have to do to win back credibility? Or is that even possible at this point?

Congress could gain credibility by beginning impeachment proceedings for Bush and Cheney, since it is their duty to do so. They also must restore the constitutional protections to our rights and freedoms that this administration has taken from us. Since that probably isn't going to happen, it will be a long time before the public will trust them again.

The executive branch will begin to gain credibility when we have competent people in charge of it, and not until then.

What can be done to get we the people to believe again in our federal government? Do we need to just get rid of all of them, give 'em all pink slips and start again?

The federal government is not part of my belief system. I do believe in progress towards better systems of governance, and at this point in history, America, our inheritance, however you conceive it, is getting in the way of progress.

Or should I just give up and move to Canada

I would imagine that today's Parliament Hill environment would just as much of an anathema to you as Capitol Hill.

rhodezone, I would love to know what you consider a better system of governance. Progress is in in the eyes of the beholder. You idea of progress may not be mine, so what do you mean by progress?

We are in trouble because we have to much and we are greedy and want too much more. So if we cannot get it then we will cheat to get it, rob to get it, and lie to get it and all of this is happening with our so called leaders, at ever level.

We have lost our moral center and this statement has nothing to do with religion, we are not teaching our children right from wrong, we are not letting our children learn how to get along with each other. There is much to be said for the old days when you earned your way into a group, sometimes it was a fist fight, but you earned your way. We deny our children this pleasure, so they do not learn to give and take.

Yes, it's possible but it would be very very difficult. For starters, we'd have to make a serious break with the policies which have distanced us from the rest of the world these last few years. The United States needs to be a leader again rather than a very large and very well armed rogue state.

And that means admitting our mistakes.

We need to join the World Criminal Court per the terms offered the Clinton Administration. If that means that some members of the US armed forces who engaged in questionable conduct in Iraq go before the Hauge... well... so be it.

We need to reexamine our role in Kyoto and the issue of climate change and take a leadership role in that issue.

Then we need to start setting an example for the world. We need to get the Doha round of the WTO back on track and realize that agriculture subsidies, while politically popular, are holding us and the world back.

And that's just abroad. We need transparency and openness here at home, a reform of our campaign finance system, and a dozen other things besides. All of that will come with time though. For now, we need to realize and acknowledge that things need to change.

I'm gonna echo Dennis McCann's sentiments above, and add some of my own.

1.) Impeach Bush & Cheney.
2.) Investigate criminal charges against Rumsfeld, Rove & Gonzales (and others).
3.) Strip away the secrecy in Congress. Report openly and honestly about everything. Technology is cheap and easy these days. You could do most of the reporting automatically, and through RSS feeds. This would include reporting on lobbying, holds on bills, earmarks, travel expenses, etc and etc.
4.) Force resignations for all lawmakers accused of wrongdoing (providing there's proof). No more of this craziness that Craig pulled -- staying in office after being arrested for something.
5.) I'm sure there's a great number 5 out there, but I can't think of it right now.

"Every society has a right to fix the fundamental principles of its association, and to say to all individuals, that if they contemplate pursuits beyond the limits of these principles and involving dangers which the society chooses to avoid, they must go somewhere else for their exercise; that we want no citizens, and still less ephemeral and pseudo-citizens, on such terms. We may exclude them from our territory, as we do persons infected with disease." --Thomas Jefferson to William H. Crawford, 1816.

"Society [has] a right to erase from the roll of its members any one who rendered his own existence inconsistent with theirs; to withdraw from him the protection of their laws, and to remove him from among them by exile, or even by death if necessary."--Thomas Jefferson to L. H. Girardin, 1815

The response-ability is Ultimately in the hands of the people. Do we sit on our fat couches and just hope for things to change? Or do we go out and make those responsible, accountable. When the people begin to fear their own government, it is the government that should begin to fear it's people. The world will respect us again only if we do this. The American example introduced the principle of national self-government to the world and proved that it was not only possible, but the best form of government for its citizens, and also it promised peace and happiness to those people in other lands who might choose to imitate it. What example have we shown to the world lately?

Congress needs to take an honest look at the FDA and clean up the deadly foods and drugs that are killing us as we go day to day right here at home. I did an article with a Confidential FDA report on the crisis that says in very clear terms, we are in peril and the agency is not able to protect American lives.

If we can't have safe consumer products in areas as basic as foods, what the heck do we need to worry about other policies for. We're dying right here from corrupt legislation and influence.

We need an immediate moratorium on all the gmo foods and if you're one of the folks who thinks this is just more of my ranting over something that can't possibly be that bad read the FDA report. Download the pdf while the link is still viable and see for yourself how dire the current crisis really is.

Great point Scott, Was it also Jefferson who advocated a revolution every 17 or 27 years? We're way past due.

Great question, Scott.

I think it's definitely possible for the government to regain its credibility/integrity, but I don't know if we have it in us for that to happen, at least with the current political climate.

The first step is that there needs to be a convincing change in Washington, and not just a change of parties, but a real change in how things are done. While this could come in the form of a reform movement from within an existing party, they currently have too much to gain from the status quo for a reform movement to have any legs. Realistically, I think a 3rd party will have to come in and wrest power from the Republicans and Democrats for there to be any meaningful change in how business is handles in Washington, but things are going to have to get a lot worse before I see that as a viable possibility.

This isn't going to change with the election of a President. While he (or she) controls one branch of the government, any changes are going to have to go through Congress. As such, once a receptive congress is in-place, I think they need to pass provisions outlawing gerrymandering, and pass a line-item veto (or some other measure that will allow for elimination of unnecessary pork-barrel spending), offer some real campaign finance reform that minimizes the need for campaign donations while keeping freedom of speech intact, among other things. Furthermore, such a congress would need to focus on improving the lives of all, and not just become a slave to the powers that elected them. I see such a movement likely coming out of the political center, as the Republicans and Democrats are becoming increasingly beholden to their fringe elements, alienating large portions of their own party, in addition to the other party in its entirety.

Really, Washington needs a good cleaning-out, but things are so stacked against newcomers that people are going to have to be really upset with both parties for that to happen. Credibility and integrity can be regained, so long as the people can have faith in the people in the halls of power. That's all it takes. Unfortunately, that kind of credibility is hard to come by, and is often a hindrance to seeking such a high office.

But that's what needs to happen, at least in my mind.

Oh -- and my opinion on Newsvine polls:

I think they're dumb. This isn't a poll in the traditional sense, this seems to be a discussion of "what do you think needs to be fixed" but long story short I think that if the thrust of your article is about the discussion - that is, if you're expecting your readers to do the heavy lifting for you in the comments - or if you're really just throwing out questions then the article needs to be tagged Newsvine.

Just my $0.02

I keep seeding stuff from Clean Elections about freeing the political system from the taint of big money, money that is needed to finance running for office but which corrupts the system.

Please link here -- at www.publiccampaign.org.
Some states have adopted the Clean Elections law and other have it under consideration.

From the Public Campaign newsletter --

Earlier this week, USA Today ran a great editorial on the top five reasons to support full public financing of campaigns on the model of Clean Elections systems in Arizona, Maine, and Connecticut. They also ran a "counterpoint" article authored by Bradley Smith of the Center for Competitive Politics – an article filled with half-truths and distortions about public financing of elections.

As for the polls, some are badly worded, some are really dumb, but they do tend to increase comment and a sense of participation in the agora of ideas.

war crimes tried in front of an international court, from top to bottom. that would be a good start.

How about eliminating the two party dominant system so that we can get some decent candidates for president on the ballot?

Giving the people their rights back would be a great start.

Stop surveillance on U.S. citizens. We are not the enemy.

Stop using terrorism as an excuse for all actions and to scare the American people. Most of us are intelligent and we don't buy the crap anymore.

The good old days are always the good old days - and it isn't as though, pre-Vietnam, there wasn't the Mexican-American war, or the Spanish-American war. It wasn't as though there weren't Teapot Dome scandals. Or, you know, that little thing called the Civil War. The KKK. The Great Depression. It's sort of silly to ask what it would take for people to trust government - the Constitution is sort of based on the notion that, well, honestly, you shouldn't, after all.

America's salad days are no doubt behind it, and we most certainly are entering a multi-polar world. It luckily ascended in somewhat prime conditions (no angry superpower next door, foreign nations more concerned with each other than the US, etc), and had the good fortune of being able to create its own myths (not King Arthur, but poor-man-turned-rich), etc. And then it had the further fortune (not necessarily "good") of coming out of the WWII era largely unscathed (San Diego wasn't firebombed, and New York wasn't nuked, nor was there a seige of Dallas).

Those times were never going to last. In some ways, the US is a victim of its own myth-making. And in a lot of ways that's unfair. It'll take time to adjust - just look at the UK, post-empire, but it will happen. Changes are coming, sure enough, but as for credibility? You can't really lose what you never really had.

Sorry Scott, my contribution to a solution. Public finacing of elections, giving every candidate and equal amount of air time, so much free TV time and enforcing a disclosure policy that prevents this junk that dribbles and drops out. Rudy's business good example. There should be full disclosure if the candidate is having any business with the government.

Most of all we need more citizen involvment and that is a major key and I think if we can make it interesting they will come out and partlicipate.

I think if we followed Ron Paul's advice it might win back credibility.

Yes we can get our country back, because "We The People" are the government. We just need to learn how to govern.

Congress has to stop all the hidden pork in every bill. The 'riders' added to buy votes from other members of Congress. Bills should stick to the major subject that it is about.

Congress has to stop passing bills for things they never intend to provide funds for in the budget.

Congress had to actually read the bills they submit instead of allowing 'staff' to write it then tell the staff of other Congresspersons what is in the bill. The members should certify that they, themselves, have read a bill instead of voting on the recommendation of the staff of another Congressperson.

Dr. Know:

Very good points I agree that the Congress has a lot of reforming to do, but it is the Executive branch that has violated our Constitution. If we had true leadership at all level of our government we could take our country back. This lack of leadership starts in our Townships, cities, States, Counties, and up the ladder. This includes our court at all levels. As I stated before this country has lost its moral center and greed has taken over. We need to reverse this and we can this is the Country of We the People. REGISTER AND VOTE If the maximum number of qualified electors would register then go out and vote, the sheer numbers of participation with scare the hell out of every politician. Right now they know that the majority of the people don't care.

A President that can lead us in the right direction, that would let us rule, would be God sent.