In my high school years in the mid-1960's, my government, civics, and history teachers were mostly football coaches. I didn't learn a lot of history from any of them, but, on the other hand, no identifiable group more closely reflects "default white guy opinion" than football coaches.
They taught, and I still believe, that the American government is, or should be, a force for good in the world. (These flaming liberals also taught that the United Nations was a good thing.)
That positive view of government started to wane in the 1970's. The first time I heard an anti-government joke--"I'm from the federal government and I'm here to help you"--was 1972, and it was told by then Cong. Bob Dole.
This was only a few years after the American government took the side of black people in the civil rights legislation of the 1960's. Coincidence?
Nowadays, people fall all over themselves to see just how anti-government they can be. The GOP presidential contest is basically about which candidate is the most rabid on the question, even as they, at the same time, lust for leadership of that government.
This morning, speaking at an International Association of Fire Fighters conference in Manhattan, the former President had some remarks on the subject:
"I got tickled by watching Governor Perry announce for governor, for president...He's a good looking rascal."
"And he's saying 'Oh, I'm going to Washington to make sure that the federal government stays as far away from you as possible -- while I ride on Air Force One and that Marine One helicopter and go to Camp David and travel around the world and have a good time.' I mean, this is crazy."
Some have made an entire career in politics out of hating the government. They spend millions and millions to get office, and stay in office, in order to be an influential figure in an entity they, at the same time, consider the Whore of Babylon. (Many of them are southerners whose states receive far more from federal taxes than they pay in to our common coffer.)
Don't like government? Try a country without one--say, Somalia, for example.
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