I actually trust my government quite well. Sure, they don't keep many of their (more sensational) election promises, but they've done reasonably well in some regards. There's a lot that they're not doing right - health care funding, race relations, and so on... but they're sufficiently honest about what they're doing at any given time. The police and armed forces are well-managed; the intelligence agencies seem effective. The right secrets are kept, too - we're not told everything that's happening in the intelligence world, because that'd undermine the entire purpose of covert information-gathering. The government's integrity is well-demonstrated by its reponse to extreme views. 'Extreme' attitudes get the most media attention, since sensationalism boosts ratings (far more important than actual current events); therefore the media makes the most of them. However, even in the face of seemingly overwhelming public backlash on 'big issues', they don't back down - hence, we still have a military presence in the Middle East, we're still allowed to be treated with medicine sourced from biotechnology, and we still have close economic and intelligence ties with our traditional allies such as Australia and the US. The government often does what's apparently right for the country rather than caving in to the demands of a vocal minority, even though that acquiescence might score them a few 'points' here and there.

As for soldiers trusting their government... I fully understand that. It's a special position, since the armed forces are basically the physical 'weight' behind the government's intentions. The government decides it, the military makes it happen. That requires a full trust and respect for the decisions of the government; anything less means an unreliable military whose indecision could cost lives in a crisis situation. An individual soldier mightn't personally like certain decisions of the government, but he or she must still be prepared to do whatever is asked. It's a lot like lawyers and the law - the law isn't always fair and just in everyones' opinion, but a lawyer can't simply ignore it when a client is depending upon it.