I'm not nit-picking. This is a serious error, one widely believed by government agents and citizens, and it contributes to the problem.
We the People do not belong to the government. The government does not own citizens.
Quite the contrary, in fact.
We the People own the government. It exists to serve us.
The correct phrase is "between the citizens and their government".
Nevertheless, many entities have managed to turn this right relationship on its head. Government agents have forgotten that they are servants wearing our livery; they have begun to think of themselves as masters.
And that leads them to treat We the People with contempt.
Good on you. Such distinctions are usually ( almost always) lost on the population at large.