The idea of all government as a freestanding threat to freedom seldom survives adulthood because we tend to press adults into public service. When you have public responsibilities, fantasy does not serve you well.

Government has to get slapped around now and then through the political process because it functions with protocols formed to deal with too many people to be rational at all decision points. A just principle becomes unjust in practice and people get angry or some bureaucrat has sense enough to bend the rules so people don’t get angry in the first place.

Corporations, not so much.

Small businesses have to answer to the people they serve.

As they get bigger, and able to buy Congressmen, all ordinary people can do is keep ourselves prepared to tell them to hold the chicken salad between their knees and if enough people do it, we win.