It seems like it’s been a rough few months here huh? There’s a lot of negativity in the air from both parties about politics, the government in general and whether or not armed rebellion is a valid option at this point. Trump has a historically low 40 percent incoming presidential approval rating. It’s a number that his critics are swift to point out, but not one that is mirrored by people’s perceptions of either party at large. Favorability ratings of the Republican party have risen sharply since last year to 47 percent per the Pew Research Center. Ratings for the Democratic party have ticked up as well to 51 percent. Even Congress has enjoyed a ratings bump to their highest levels since early 2009. That could mean Americans have at least a little bit of positivity about the government in general, but even if it doesn’t I want to try and point out constructive things that government does. Let’s keep the relative optimism going using Pew’s most recent survey on federal agency approval rates to focus on a slice of some good.
The United States Postal Service’s ratings are by far the most favorable with 84 percent. People seem to love the mail. Perhaps it’s because the USPS receives no tax dollars at all and operates solely off of its sales revenue. Or maybe it’s because they handle 40 percent of all mail produced in the world, upwards of 150 billion pieces of mail, and still have high on-time delivery numbers. Another reason could be that they were trailblazers towards making their operations environmentally friendly. There might just be something nostalgic about seeing the mailman walk around the block. In any case, most people in the country would call themselves a fan of the USPS. It’s fun to send and receive an actual letter and it’s cheaper than a pack of gum. I would recommend it.
The runner up is the National Parks Service with 75 percent. The NPS is tasked with the conservation of natural, scenic, historic, and recreational resources for future generations of Americans. It seems that current generations of Americans think they’re doing well. The NPS looks over some of the most beautiful locations on the globe, from the Grand Canyon to Yosemite. They saw record attendance in 2015 with 307 million visitors that generated about $16 billion in consumer spending for the surrounding areas. The national parks of the United States are considered some of the most scenic and best maintained the world over, and we have the National Parks Service to thank. If you want to experience it first hand then a great day trip is driving up to Little River Canyon up by Fort Payne, Alabama.
While I’m on the topic I should mention that GPS is totally free and you don’t have to use your data plan on road trips because the United States government put a bunch of satellites up there in the 80’s.
The third most fondly thought of federal agency is the Centers for Disease Control. Seventy-one percent of Americans see the CDC in a favorable light. Their entire job is to keep people safe from illness and save lives. Their Strategic National Stockpile can deliver medicine to anywhere in the United States in 12 hours or less, they deployed almost 3,500 people to help curb Ebola, and they contribute regularly in different journals to spread knowledge. The CDC has trained over 2,600 international doctors to identify and treat diseases in their own countries, and they have substantially improved the response to outbreaks globally. People don’t really think about the Centers for Disease Control because it seems so obvious and useful, but they’re an important part of the federal government that makes all of our lives better. If you ever meet someone from the CDC let them know that lab coats are sexy and that you really enjoy not having swine flu.
Those three agencies are just the ones we like the most. The United States is the most powerful empire in the history of Earth and our government does some great things for us. That by no means it’s perfect, has been perfect, or will ever be perfect, but sometimes we should take a step back and think about the positive.
Mason Estevez is a junior majoring in economics and journalism. His column runs biweekly.
