Events of the past several weeks in Washington offer ample proof of why citizens are losing confidence in President Obama, as well as the news media.

A prominent Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, Jonathan Gruber, is shown in a number of videos claiming the president’s Obamacare was carefully packaged and sold with lies and deceit. He was paid to be a consultant, made many trips to the White House and said the health care plan was passed because the public was so stupid they didn’t know what was being proposed.

At first, Obama and his senior associates claimed not to know Gruber or claimed he really didn’t play a significant role. A few days later, after several videos of Gruber making these claims surfaced (even some that showed Obama praising the skills and importance of Gruber), the president and his aides tried to distance themselves from the scam they played on the public. It isn’t working.

When the Gruber films were made public, major television networks and major newspapers failed to report the story. It didn’t fit their political leanings so they tried to ignore Gruber’s statements until the story became so big it was almost impossible to shelve.

Even today, the story about the deliberate lies and how Obama and his aides deceived the public remains on inside pages rather than on front pages where the story should be played, and the major television networks continue to either not report the story or downplay its importance.

Is it any wonder the public is losing respect for the president and finding less and less reason to believe what Obama and his inner circle have to say about major national incidents? Is there any question why the news media are held in such low regard?

The public was fed months and months of glowing statistics about Obama health care, and all the advantages and features of the controversial plan. Now it is learned officials deliberately lied to the public.

The erosion of trust in the White House, Congress, governors or city commissions is critical. Once lost, that trust is almost impossible to regain.

Once a person, or an officeholder doesn’t tell the truth, how can he or she be trusted?