The government can be a force for good or an appalling source of evil. Who we vote for determines which one is true. Right now we need to vote a lot of them out.

This theme of a mistrust in the government is from both sides of the aisle, and certainly there have been many incidents from the past to warrant such mistrust, but the government is suppose to be "by the people, for the people".

If we are not actively engaged citizens, voting and educating ourselves about government, the politicians, and the legislation that affects all of us, then we are indeed like the sheeple of religion.

We have to be active and attempt to make our government be "by the people. for the people..."
We are a nation that votes. Evangelism and religion, in general, have sabotaged our democracy. George W. knew this and that is why he became an Evangelist - lots of votes. I have seen Pastors dictate to their flock and even bus their parishioners to the voting booths. Evangelists are against educating the public among other things. So Big Money can manipulate them and overtake our government. We need our government - so we are stuck with our government and must make every effort to maintain our democracy. So vote! March! Support the factions you believe in.

For me, a religion is any entity that utilizes something other than reason or facts to derive at their conclusions. This would most definitely include the United States. However, I can say from personal experience that it's employees don't like it when you compare the two.

I worked 34 years for the government including four in the military, I have a very good pension from them. I did not like it but I knew that I could retire at 55 with 30 years and that is what kept me going

No one should blindly trust government, for multiple reasons. Having said that, however, we still have to have it. The alternative is to let money and weapon power run absolutely everything. Without government, we have chaos. Think Somalia, or the mob running everything.
Government is ugly, dishonest, twisted, and endlessly frustrating. But our only options are to do what we can to make it accountable to the people or else accept that we will be controled by ruthless forces without any accountability. Right now there is a whole lot of accountability sorely lacking and desperately needed. To me our current national administration looks more like a bungling cluster of would-be mobsters than it does a U.S. government.

As for religion, we really Don't need it, so there's one difference.

Politicians are about promoting their "brand". That means they will aline and promote any popular cause to further promote their "brand". Government is not of and for the people it is about their own promotion.

In early society, there was little distinction between government and religion. We are still dealing with the social engineering accomplishment of the Roman Empire and the Hebrew Nation, A government in the form of a Republic and Christianity. Government is not to be trusted it is to be controlled by voters, but unfortunately 49% of people didn't vote last election so Trump wins with about 25% of the people voting for him. We live in a Republic yes, but they screwed up and left the ability for democracy to win out if unified. That is why they are always dividing us, right?

It's all about controlling us either way.

Well.... I can see the government, I can see what it does, and how it does it. If im angry at the government I can effect change through either a grass roots effort, campaign donations, volunteer work, or becoming elected myself.

I... can pray to god.

I do not think that a religion is in any way comparable to a government. I do completely agree with your assessment of anyone trusting the government. The United States is nothing more than a propaganda organization. (IMHO)

I don't trust much the government says, if anything.

Too much patriotism can be as bad as being a religious zealot.

That depends on the government. I'm referencing Secular governments here. Yes I trust Secular governments because they want to change with the times and are open to debate about what they protect and what they don't. I trust more that they change and keep evolving rather than trust that they really impose the policies they are supposed to. It only takes a new face to turn a bad law around in the United States. In theocratic governments that is a different story.

there in bed together. same meat different gravy.

I can't get into this, I'll be here all day, and EVERYONE will end up hating me.

I'm not sure the government is a religion, but both parties are sure trending that way.

Believe in THIS or be excommunicated!

Jumping to a conclusion would lead me to infer that you advocate a type of anarchy. Now I could comment further but I don't want to but words in your mouth.

the govt is your only friend . the corporations would have you in a work house

We make these same "lesser of two evils" a hundred times a day. It's called life, you don't get everything you want every time. You wore the least dirty shirt this morning because you didn't do laundry. You got a cup of coffee at Burger King because the line at Starbucks was too long. You gave your kid a lunchable because you forgot to hit the ATM last night. And yes, you should have voted for Hillary because she is a shit ton better than Trump even though Bernie was a better choice. Let me tell you how the Democrats make decisions: First, they have a convention. In said convention they have many caucus', a business caucus, a Latino caucus, a Handicapped caucus-a caucus for everything. In each caucus they debate what they want done by the next congress and send a delegate with these decisions to the platform committee of the party. The platform committee hammers out what they believe is politically feasible to advance to the national stage and get the most support and votes, it has many compromises and often promises future action on items that don't make it to the platform. This platform is now embraced by the candidates and reported in the media. This is called Democracy.

In the end , vice for virtue , you can't bite the hand that feeds you . It's dysfunctional

Distrust started during the Vietnam war because the second attack in the gulf of Tonkin was a lie. Kennedy's Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis didn't help but I think most people still trusted him because he owned his problems and didn't try to cover up or point fingers.

Nixon really soured any trust that was left. between the illegal break ins and cover ups and the Saturday Night Massacre and Whitehouse obstruction of justice, all for digging up dirt on Democrats in the next election people just lost all faith in gov't. Watching it play out on TV for 2 solid weeks in detail was the last straw.
Trump is nailing the coffin closed on trust that will take years to even begin to return. The election process is the problem now. Good people that are qualified will not run because; the private sector pays a lot better, without having their whole life put under a microscope, it's either a 2, 4, 6 year job with no guarantee beyond that. Anybody with a family isn't gonna do that. That leaves us with what you see picking the lesser of two evils.
There is no easy answer here, to much money is involved. As long as people think the only way to win a election is to raise and spend ridiculous sums of money nothing is really gonna change.
The biggest change for the good of America is to find a way to win elections without raising a spending ridiculous sums of money. That would take big business out of the equation, making it possible to actually do something for the people and not just for big business. Don't hold your breath.