'Love Gov' explores the pitfalls of big government

A powerful online mini-series released by the Independent Institute earlier this summer illustrates the "folly, cost, and intrusiveness" of big government in America.

The cleverly satirical series, Love Gov, follows the life of a college student named Alexis as she finishes her degree, starts a small business, and finally buys a house, all while slipping further into a disastrous relationship with Scott “Gov” Govinsky.

Alexis and Gov first meet in college and Gov encourages her to take advantage of every opportunity she can get in school, such as studying abroad, regardless of cost. As a result of Gov’s influence, Alexis starts down a dangerous path towards debt, failure, and loss of privacy.

Though the sly Gov convinces Alexis to make several bad decisions such as taking out $40,000 worth of student loans and buying unnecessary healthcare plans that are beyond her budget, Alexis’ best friend Libby is always around to explain the downfalls of Gov’s logic.

Today’s liberal agenda, like Gov’s interference in Alexis’ life, gives Americans the impression that they can do as they wish without any harmful consequences. Big government encourages citizens to take all they can, but hides the fact that loans, regulations, and unabashed trust in government can produce ruinous results.

Over the ten-year span that the videos depict, we see Alexis submit to Gov’s love of big business, heavy regulation of small businesses for the sake of “protecting” everyone, and the double standards that end up hurting Alexis but benefitting Gov.

“It seems like everyone needs to be told what to do,” Gov tells Alexis. He even says his job is to protect people from their own choices.

The series, which was uploaded to YouTube early last month, has proven popular with the five episodes gaining over one million views. The series launched alongside the MyGovCost iOS app, which allows users to calculate how much the federal government is costing them this year and throughout their lives.

"There's an allegorical quality to it," Independent Institute President David Theroux told Campus Reform. "It's obviously dealing with big issues. But we think looking at it in a humorous way, but in a personal way, it is a way for people to identify with these questions as it [they] are going to affect them in their own lives and what possibly they can do about it." 

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