Government as business partner

Gov. Otter has written to extol the virtues of Idaho state government, especially as it has been run under his watch.  It's clear that he has a vision of government as being basically just a vehicle for helping business.

Here's, to me, a startling quote:  State government can no longer even be the "primary social safety net."

This just boggles my mind.  I mean, if the government doesn't provide a social safety net, who will?  I guess churches help out to an extent, but they don't meet all our citizens' needs, not by a long shot.  And that help is ephemeral, can be withdrawn in an instant, and can be  completely withheld if you have some social disqualification, like being gay.

You've probably seen the quotes from various folks, and to paraphrase, if you get cancer and can't afford your medical bills, just hold a bake sale.  That'll do it.  No worries.

Here's another clear statement about the Governor's view of government: 

We took plenty of heat along the way from those for whom growing government — and the sense of entitlement it inevitably fosters — had become a way of life during the years of economic expansion.

Republicans have been in total political control in Idaho for decades.  Just who, I wonder, are the folks for whom growing government was a way of life?  It'd have to be Idaho Republicans, wouldn't it?  Dean Cameron, I think this is a shot at you.

I think Gov Otter is being honest about his views, and I think they're in accord with lots of Idahoans.  I just do not understand it.  It comes across to me as, I've got mine, you go to hell.