1. United States
2. Alaska
3. Letter

I am deeply concerned about the accelerating erosion of public trust in American institutions. Democratic governments do not survive on laws alone. They survive because people believe institutions are legitimate, fair, and accountable. When citizens begin to believe that justice is politically selective, that government agencies are weaponized, or that powerful individuals operate under different rules, trust begins to fracture. History shows the danger clearly. Governments become unstable when institutional trust collapses: - In the late Roman Republic, political norms eroded as leaders increasingly used institutions for factional power rather than public stability. - In Weimar Germany, widespread distrust in government and economic systems created conditions for extremism and democratic collapse. - In more recent nations experiencing democratic backsliding, attacks on courts, elections, civil services, journalists, and oversight agencies weakened the public’s belief that lawful systems still functioned fairly. The United States is not immune to these pressures. When taxpayers see political allies potentially rewarded through government settlements, when accountability appears inconsistent, and when institutions are treated as tools for partisan loyalty rather than public service, cynicism grows. Cynicism becomes disengagement. Disengagement creates instability. Instability creates openings for extremism and authoritarian behavior. I urge you to defend institutional integrity, transparency, and equal application of the law. Public trust is not abstract. It is the invisible infrastructure that holds democratic society together.