Among demographic groups, whites and older Americans are especially likely to express anger at the government

A quarter of whites say they are angry at the federal government, compared with 17% of Hispanics and 12% of blacks.

And elected officials are held in such low regard that 55% of the public says “ordinary Americans” would do a better job of solving national problems.

Currently, just 19% say they can trust the government always or most of the time, among the lowest levels in the past half-century.

This suggests that while Americans who think minorities are being treated unfairly may want an increased police presence, it is unclear whether they mean more manpower in their communities or perhaps different types of officers, in demeanor or racial makeup.

This suggests that while Americans who think minorities are being treated unfairly may want an increased police presence, it is unclear whether they mean more manpower in their communities or perhaps different types of officers, in demeanor or racial makeup

blacks, whites, Hispanics and overall national adults -- who believe minorities have been treated unfairly, relatively small percentages want a smaller police presence in their local communities. This could mean that despite high-profile incidents, Americans recognize that police are needed in their area.

More blacks (38%) say they want a greater police presence in their local communities than do whites (18%) or Americans more broadly (23%).

In general, though, majorities of these major groups profess wanting "no change" in the police presence in their local community. However, blacks are the least likely to say this at 51%, compared with Hispanics at 59% and whites at 74%. Only small percentages of any group say they want a smaller police presence than currently exists

Gallup polling between 2012 and 2014 showed that a majority of blacks, or 64 percent, had only some, very little or no confidence in the police, while the majority of the whites questioned, or 58 percent, had either a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the police. Between 2009 and 2011, Gallup found 61 percent of blacks only had partial or no confidence in police, while 62 percent of whites had a lot of confidence in the police.

almost two-thirds of blacks - 65 percent - surveyed by the Pew Research Center said police went too far in their response to the Ferguson protests, while one-third of whites agreed and nearly another third said the police response has been about right. The Pew survey was conducted Aug. 14-17.

Economic pressure from immigrants forces those of us already here to work harder and smarter

mmigration is also a critical aspect of America's most cherished tradition: capitalism. In fact, immigration may well be capitalism's most rudimentary form. New bloodlines introduce new ideas and legitimate challenges to old, outdated modes of thinking.

The two largest racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. -- Hispanics and blacks -- currently rate most institutions similarly. They differ most in their confidence in the presidency, with 71% of blacks and 44% of Hispanics expressing confidence.

In fact, nonwhites' greater confidence in most U.S. institutions today may largely be due to political differences stemming from the fact that the current president is a Democrat. Across 15 institutions measured in both 2004-2006 and 2011-2013, nonwhites' confidence has increased two points, on average. Meanwhile, whites' average confidence has dropped seven points, indicating today's racial differences are fueled mostly by declining white confidence in U.S. institutions

Some of the racial differences, such as confidence in news media, police, small business, and the military may be a function of political differences between nonwhites -- who tend to be more Democratic politically -- and whites, who are more likely to be Republican.

U.S. nonwhites express greater confidence than whites in most major institutions in the country, particularly the presidency, television news, and Congress

Media accounts of police misconduct also influence perceptions of the police, but less so than personal interactions.Frequent exposure to media reports of police abuse or corruption is a strong predictor of perceptions of misconduct and supports the belief that it is common

People who perceive that they received “procedural justice” are also likely to perceive the police as legitimate and trustworthy and are likely to comply in the future. Procedural justice is the notion that a process is fair and that people have the opportunity to be heard, are treated politely and respectfully, and are judged by a neutral system free of bias. [4]

People tend to focus on how police treat them — the process and interactions — rather than the final outcome of those interactions

People form opinions of the police based on their own interactions with them or the experiences they hear from trusted friends and family.

researchers controlled for factors such as the level of neighborhood crime, the reported quality of police-citizen encounters, and other demographic variables such as age, income and education, the effects of race disappeared entirely or were substantially reduced

Although data show that whites hold the police in higher regard than do minorities, race has not been found to directly influence how people form opinions about law enforcement

It undermines the legitimacy of law enforcement, and without legitimacy police lose their ability and authority to function effectively.

Racial and ethnic minority perceptions that the police lack lawfulness and legitimacy, based largely on their interactions with the police, can lead to distrust of the police.

Lawfulness means that police comply with constitutional, statutory and professional norms

Minorities frequently report that the police disproportionately single them out because of their race or ethnicity.

in the United States, 80 percent of us live in large, densely populated urban areas, usually on the coast, and typically hundreds of miles, often thousands of miles, from the major centers of food productio

And what counts as local? Does food need to be purchased directly from the producer? Does it still count when it’s distributed through a mass marketer, as with Wal-Mart’s Salute to America’s Farmer program, which is now periodically showcasing local growers?

the increasing reliance on foods shipped halfway round the world.

they’re a poor fit in modern urbanized societies