Record-High 62% Say U.s. Government Has Too Much Power
Posted3 months agoActive3 months ago
news.gallup.comOtherstory
calmmixed
Debate
60/100
Government PowerPublic OpinionPolitical Polarization
Key topics
Government Power
Public Opinion
Political Polarization
A record-high 62% of Americans believe the US government has too much power, sparking discussion on the role of government and the implications of this sentiment.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
Active discussionFirst comment
4h
Peak period
16
0-12h
Avg / period
5.8
Comment distribution29 data points
Loading chart...
Based on 29 loaded comments
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Oct 12, 2025 at 7:31 AM EDT
3 months ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Oct 12, 2025 at 11:36 AM EDT
4h after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
16 comments in 0-12h
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Oct 16, 2025 at 4:49 PM EDT
3 months ago
Step 04
Generating AI Summary...
Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns
ID: 45557376Type: storyLast synced: 11/20/2025, 12:20:30 PM
Want the full context?
Jump to the original sources
Read the primary article or dive into the live Hacker News thread when you're ready.
Perhaps America will once again be a place with "freedom and justice for all"!
We'll have a much better idea of how things are going by the 2026 midterms. Then our democratic republic can vote accordingly. :-)
Hence my decree comment.
Conservatives control all three branches of government to an extent. The Senate GOP doesn't have 60 members, so the Dems can block legislation (the GOP hasn't invoked the "nuclear option" that would prevent that). That's why there's a government shutdown, 100% of that is on the Dems.
The Supreme Court exists only to interpret law in terms of constitutionality. Even with a conservative majority, it shouldn't, and almost certainly won't, violate the Constitution.
As I said above, events leading up to the midterms, and the midterms themselves, will determine the way forward...quite democratically. :-)
Back in my day, the filibuster existed to encourage compromise. The idea that this is "100%" on the Dems is absolutely ridiculous.
There's not much I agree with Trump on, but I do agree with what he said back in 2013: "A shutdown means the president is weak."
Mr. "Art of the Deal" really makes the best deals.
How do you figure? Or is the presumption that the GOP compromising by not (further) gutting healthcare subsidies just accepted as wishful thinking at this point?
> almost certainly won't, violate the Constitution
They arguably already have [0]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_v._United_States
lol
It’s telling that you didn’t mention these alleged excesses or explain your argument that concentrating power in the executive while removing safeguards somehow prevents future abuse. Without a coherent argument and supporting evidence, it’s hard to see how this will lead to a useful conversation.
The midterms should be fun!
I hope people retain these opinions of government power when their "side" gets back into power and they use that power to shrink the government so much that this cannot happen again in our lifetimes.
How? The arguments I've heard require both of the following to be true:
1. Medical misinformation is a cornerstone of political thought in the right instead of non-politically-aligned anti-scientific nonsense.
2. The government suggesting to media companies that they limit the spread of that misinformation, and those media companies voluntarily implementing systems that do so in order to keep their customers and employees from dying, constitutes government coercion of speech.
Regardless of what team you're on if you can't come up with a few things that were done that were bad and a bunch more things that were said and advocated for by politicians that were way worse then you are the problem.
(Many states put out "stay at home orders" that in fact were merely strongly worded suggestions when it came to individuals)
You obviously had money, no kids, and AC. Glad you had a better time of it than many.
I agree, both parties are rotten, but in a thread pointing out the left abused power where the right did not, you need to swing the opposite way to end up there.
3 more comments available on Hacker News