It’s a heck of a time to be a congressman. According to a Gallup poll of honesty and ethical standards, members of Congress are perceived to be the least trustworthy of all professionals — 55 percent of polled Americans ranked their representatives as having very low standards.
Senators ranked slightly better, at 49 percent; sandwiched between the two were car salespeople, perhaps the most traditional of distrusted professionals. Also ranked very low were stockbrokers and HMO managers.
On the upside, Americans perceive their nurses to be very trustworthy, with 83 percent ranking them as having high ethical standards. Police officers scored a 63 percent approval rating.
Politicians have been on a steep decline ever since 2000, when they scored a mere 21 percent.
