In the wake of the Iraq invasion, followed by the revelation of the NSA wiretaps, my faith in government was pretty much dashed, not just about gross abuses like those but also questioning whether they could reliably collect the garbage etc. and I was leaning more and more libertarian (if not feeling much affinity with Libertarians).
More and more as I watch the intentional hamstringing if not dismantling of our various institutions, I’m reversing my views. 31 years ago, I remember reading a SPUSA pamphlet that broke things down something like this (not their exact words, nor examples, but the general comparison is theirs):
The state executes criminals, wages war, criminalizes {sexual congress, immigration status, drugs, peaceably assembling etc.}, enables/rewards abusive LEOs [etc.]. The government OTOH, runs the schools, operates transit, paves the streets, picks up the garbage, assists substance abusers, delivers the mail [etc.]
I can’t find this kind of phrasing in their current platform but anyway, in that sense, yes I could trust a government and, in contrast to 15-16 years ago my political view is “Hey, I know! Let’s have a government!” 
