Government is there to protect the people from corporate and foreign control. It's one of the main jobs it does. When I was a kid you couldn't breathe the air in LA, now you can. When I was a kid you could believe the news, now you cannot. Your philosophy of 'Government vs People' is faulty as it is missing those other influences. We will see soon if a smaller, less effective US government is better for the citizens. I have a strong feeling we're not going to like what we find out.
