In a recent Gallup Poll, Americans were asked their sentiment on the various business sectors. For the first year the federal government rated LAST on the list with a positive view at 17%, leaving 63% disgruntled.

Gallup explains the results:

The sectors Americans view most negatively have all had well-publicized problems in recent years. The federal government has been near the bottom of the list in previous years, but is at the absolute bottom this year for the first time, displacing the oil and gas industry. Seventeen percent of Americans have a positive view of the federal government — the lowest of any sector tested this year — while 63% have a negative image.

Senior Fellow Benjamin Powell discusses these results in his recent interview on Freedom Watch. Watch full interview here.

Congressional approval is at an all time low, which Gallup attributes to Americans’ frustration with politicians and Washington, especially with the ongoing debt debates.

Frustration with Congress was evident immediately after the debt ceiling agreement, with a record-low 21% of registered voters in an Aug. 4-7 USA Today/Gallup poll saying most members of Congress deserve re-election.

These results are not surprising at a time when all Americans wants to do is get back to work, and all they are receiving is the constant influx of high unemployment rates and slow results. Powell explains in his recent article for Investor’s Business Daily:

The problem is: Government doesn’t create jobs that add value to the economy; companies and entrepreneurs do. Through taxes, mandates and regulation the government typically discourages hiring and destroys jobs. What Washington should do right now is step aside…The best way for Washington to encourage the creation of jobs is to not focus on job creation at all, but to focus on tax and regulatory policies that will help restore confidence in the economy and stimulate private investment.

The only question I have left is: What was that 17% thinking?!