Democratic View: Let's Rebuild Trust Joe Shapiro FacebookTwitterEmail The Chair of the Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee writes this latest guest column from the committee in the town about the concept along with people.PETER POWELL / POOL /AFP via Getty Images George Shultz, who served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Reagan for six years, turned 100 last week. On his birthday Secretary Shultz, now a Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, wrote a column in the Washington Post entitled, “The 10 most important things I’ve learned about trust over my 100 years.” In it, Shultz pronounced, “Trust is the coin of the realm.” When trust was in the room, whatever room that was — the family room, the schoolroom, the locker room, the office room, the government room or the military room — good things happened. When trust was not in the room, good things did not happen. Everything else is details.”