While I agree with you, that government doesn't always do the job I expect them to do, government, nonetheless, through the power of "We The People...", have always secured, granted and protected the rights of the people. And I would like to think, with the blessings of God. That's the reason why I highlighted what I consider to be the most important part of what Jefferson said. Again, "... that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..." Most of the time our leaders have done a good job when it came to upholding the rights of the people and sometimes they've done a lousy job. Remember, the Constitution is a governing document and isn't holy scripture. Man is responsible for his actions, good and bad, right or wrong. Through the strong moral compass of individuals, mankind will succeed or fall.
There's "granted" again. Government doesn't "grant" the people anything. It's the other way around: the people grant powers to the government. It was intentionally constructed in a way to prevent tyranny of the majority, but it's been corrupted since the New Deal. Prior to that time, the government's own education material (for the military) expressly warned about the perils of a "true democracy", but that provision has faded away as they became guilty of exactly that.
Through the strong moral compass of individuals, mankind will succeed or fall.
Morality might play a factor in it, under the color of law it is more likely to contribute to failure -- because the necessary measures are more likely to provoke a rebellion. For instance, "Islamic law" is just another form of moral code, and the corruption of government by their zealots has stunted their development for centuries. And, you know what they think about our lack of adherence to their moral code.
However, I noticed that you avoided response to my explicit example of how the War on Some Drugs has enabled the War on Guns. Is it too painful to admit that you might be wrong?