The government's job is to pass laws that benefit the population at large. They could pass a law saying "skybrian gets $100,000,000/yr" and it would be awesome for you. It would be a stupid law.
Many governments appear to have lost their way...or more likely they just define "the people" as the folks who donate to their next campaign.
Government is merely the term that identifies a group of employees who work for the people. If said employees are not doing their job well, that's not on the employees, that's on bad management at the top. A fish rots from the head down, as they say.