ABSTRACT
A t the dawn of this new millennium, trust in American government has reached dismaying lows. In a recent survey, Americans identified "corrupt political leadership" as the Single largest barrier to effective govern-
ment. Additionally, a Gallup poll that asked thousands of Americans to rate the trustworthiness of 26 occupations found that those in government received close to the lowest ratings; Senators were ranked 21st, Congressman 22nd, and state officeholders 23rd (Gallup, 1999). Indeed, only insurance salesmen, television advertisers, and used car salesmen received lower ratings.
