Distrust of government isn't baseless cynicism. It's realism.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
The strongest continuous thread in America's political tradition is skepticism about government.
In government, you are pressed by the security agencies. They come to you with very good information, and they say, 'You need to do something.' So you do need the breath of scepticism, not cynicism, breathing on them.
Cynicism is an unpleasant way of saying the truth.
A government is not legitimate merely because it exists.
It always matters whether or not you can trust your government.
Real patriotism is a willingness to challenge the government when it's wrong.
That no government, so called, can reasonably be trusted, or reasonably be supposed to have honest purposes in view, any longer than it depends wholly upon voluntary support.
I believe that Americans should be deeply skeptical of government power. You cannot trust people in power. The founders knew that. That's why they divided power among three branches, to set interest against interest.
The essence of good government is trust.
Cynicism is something which has become symbolic of imperial policy.