Favorability ratings of government agencies, as reported by Bedrock Data Solutions:
81% – National Park Service
77% – US Postal Service
74% – NASA
61% – Social Security Administration
56% – CDC
56% – Veteran Affairs
55% – EPA
55% – Health and Human Services
These numbers are all much higher than the favorability of things like Congress (16%) and the Federal Reserve (37%).
Then again, most Americans can’t actually describe what the Federal Reserve is or does, so that number is suspect at best.
But here’s what I can’t help but think:
Who doesn’t view the National Park Service as favorable? Who are these 19% of Americans who apparently have beef with the men and women who keep our national parks pristine and protected?
Are these the victims of bear attacks? The hikers who got lost on some mountain? The oil barons who want to carve up our national parks with drilling platforms and oil derricks?
And what about NASA? More than a quarter of Americans view our astronauts in a less than favorable light?
Even the Postal Service seems to be getting a bad rap here, with 23% of Americans disapproving of its pretty phenomenal service. Neither rain nor sleet nor freezing rain stops those folks from delivering our mail. Perhaps you don’t fully approve of the way they do their job and expect more, but does that mean you really view their service unfavorably?
Even if these dissatisfied Americans are worried about the national budget, NASA accounts for less than three-tenths of one percent of the money we spend every year. The national parks spend less than one-fifteenth of one percent. The Postal Service is self-funded. We don’t pay a scintilla of our tax dollars to keep it running,
Americans spend less than four-tenths of one penny of every tax dollar in exchange for the National Parks Service, NASA, and the Postal Service. Still, a sizable number of people view these agencies unfavorably.
I know… people look for problems. They like to complain. They strive for outrage.
Check that:
Unhappy malcontents feel this way. Disappointed, envious, disgruntled, and disillusioned monsters constantly look to point fingers and deflect shame by finding reasons to be dissatisfied.
Some people are not happy unless they are unhappy.
I suspect that a great many of the people viewing these federal agencies unfavorably fit into this unfortunate category.
