America the Cynical

"46% of Americans trust the 'men and women … who either hold or are running for public office,'" [source]
As Gallup has reported, less than half of Americans trust the people who run our country. A distain and distrust for politicians permeates our American culture. Peggy Noonan writes in her editorial, The New Bureaucratic Brazenness, in the Wall Street Journal, that the cause of this cynicism lies with the politicians it is directed towards. Largely, Noonan points out bureaucrat's recent general apathy towards the public opinion -- except, of course, when running for office.While the American cynicism has multiple factors, Noonan is right that it is largely caused by the obviously untrustworthy politicians. She ends with the menacing comment, "A nation can't continue to be vibrant and healthy when the government controls more and more, and yet no one trusts a thing the government says. It's hard to keep going that way." Something must change.
Because since the cycle of lies and distrust and distrust and lies is engrained in both the social and political systems, there is no one quick solution. However, theorizing optimistically does bring to mind a needed social change. If Americans get completely fed up with the lies, we may come to highly value truth-telling. The reason this is important is that now, should a politician say anything slightly negative towards their association or an uncomfortable aspect, he is then attacked by the media. More hungry for a juicy story than for praising a bureaucrat's honesty, the American society is willing to tear apart a politician who is truthful about the extent of their flaws. If we begin to praise this sort of honesty, ask for it, and respond respectfully when it is done, perhaps politicians could tell more truth without committing political suicide. This is far from a practical solution in and of itself, but must be encouraged if Americans expect anything to change.
While Peggy Noonan is right that the bureaucrats are largely at fault for American's distrust, American citizens and society are a key ingredient in causing the social cynicism to decrease.