Tyranny? Does the Constitution Matter?

10 Questions: Do Institutions Still Protect Us? Perspectives from Across America

Not a call to action—just raw questions worth answering honestly. How answers differ by class reveals a lot about whose America we're really living in. (January 2026)

These 10 questions aren't rhetoric. They're mirrors. Ask them from your own life, then consider how a struggling single parent in a low-income neighborhood might answer versus a high-net-worth executive in a gated suburb. Polls (Pew, Gallup, etc.) show trust in government hovers around 17-33% overall in recent years, but the gap widens by income, experience, and exposure to systems.

Poorer Americans often report lower baseline trust in institutions due to direct encounters with unequal enforcement, bureaucracy, and policy failures. Wealthier ones may see more protection (private security, legal resources, influence), leading to higher confidence in the status quo—though even they express growing skepticism about waste and overreach.

1. Do you trust the federal government to protect you?
   Poor/working-class: Rarely—government aid feels conditional, slow, or punitive (e.g., welfare cliffs, eviction moratoriums that didn't last). Wealthy: More often yes, via stable economy, tax policies favoring assets, or personal buffers against crises.
2. Do you believe this administration is targeting specific groups?
   Poor: Frequently—immigration enforcement, drug war policies, or "extremism" labels hit marginalized communities hardest. Wealthy: Less so personally, though some see regulatory targeting of businesses or political opponents.
3. Do you trust the courts to protect you with established laws?
   Poor: Skeptical—public defenders are overworked, bail systems trap the cash-poor, outcomes correlate with income. Wealthy: More trust; top lawyers and settlements level the field in their favor.
4. Is federal law enforcement respecting constitutional rights?
   Poor: Often no—over-policing in low-income areas, no-knock raids, civil asset forfeiture hit hardest here. Wealthy: Generally yes; encounters are rarer, and legal recourse is accessible.
5. If a federal officer targeted you illegally, would local/state police stop them?
   Poor: Doubtful—local forces often defer to feds via grants/task forces; sheriffs in some rural areas push back, but urban poor rarely see it. Wealthy: More likely in well-connected locales, or via private attorneys pressuring accountability.
6. Do you trust your party's elected reps to defend you?
   Poor: Low across parties—politicians chase donors, not constituents; promises (minimum wage, healthcare) stall. Wealthy: Higher if policies align with interests (tax cuts, deregulation), but still cynical about gridlock.
7. Will anyone else come to your rescue?
   Poor: Community/mutual aid networks sometimes step in; institutions rarely do without pressure. Wealthy: Networks of influence (lobbyists, lawyers, media) act faster.
8. Do you believe in equal rights for all—and would you fight unjust force?
   Both: Most say yes in principle. Poor: More likely to have skin in the game from direct injustice. Wealthy: Support abstractly, but action often limited to donations or votes.
9. Are you positioned to defend yourself if no one else will?
   Poor: Limited—economic barriers to training, gear, or safe spaces; legal risks higher in over-policed areas. Wealthy: Better access to firearms training, security, legal defenses.
10. Who benefits more from you being unarmed/unprepared?
    Poor: Those in power—disarmament + economic precarity keeps threats contained. Wealthy: The state monopoly benefits elites with private protection; armed populism could disrupt that.

These aren't hypotheticals for most people.
Answers vary wildly by how close you've come to the system's sharp edges.

Why Class Shapes These Answers

Recent data (Pew 2025: ~17% overall trust in federal government; Gallup trends show confidence in police higher among higher-income groups) reflects lived reality:

• Low-income Americans face more direct friction: surveillance, enforcement disparities, benefit cliffs. Trust erodes from experience.
• Wealthier Americans often experience government as a net positive (subsidies, contracts, stability) or neutral—distant bureaucracy rather than daily threat.
• Both ends distrust "waste and inefficiency," but poor see it as resources never reaching them; wealthy see it as over-taxation or red tape.
• On law enforcement: Confidence in police has ticked up overall (Gallup 2024-2025), but partisan and racial gaps persist; class overlays it—those with means navigate systems differently.

The point isn't division—it's clarity. When answers diverge so sharply, the "one nation" story frays. Institutions that protect some while failing others breed resentment across the board.

Answer these privately first. Then ask: Whose perspective is missing from the national conversation? What changes if we listen across class lines?

No rallies required—just honest reflection. Share your thoughts below if you want.

Knowledge without action is hollow; action without knowledge is reckless.

© Shane Shipman 2026