You are right to be skeptical of anything government (or associated institutions) tells you.
This doesn't mean you'll always be right, but it means you'll be less likely to fall for harmful propaganda.
Anything which is (or is made) political is probably wrong. If you mix politics with anything, you destroy everything but the politics. You are left with politics and nothing else. There may be a kernel of truth in there somewhere, but you need to find it before you act. Especially if doing what you're told gives government more power in some way- you won't get it back.
I know there are those who value acting now over analyzing the situation. They are free to do what they think is best.
I know, too, there are times you have to jump if someone yells "Tiger!"
Those times are less common than the fearmongers would have you believe. I have rarely regretted hesitating before doing what government (or "they") demanded I do immediately. At the moment, I can't think of even one time I regretted it. Often, I ended up not doing it at all, much to my future peace of mind. Unlike what the cartoon above claims, it often takes much longer than 6 months, but I can be patient.
As has been said, today's conspiracy theories often become tomorrow's "Well, yeah, that was true, but..." Then it's "history" instead of a conspiracy theory.
Tips are nice.
