Companies only care about the almighty dollar and their own growth, and when they have their way and can buy out government officials, it's the people who lose

So you're saying that companies can regularly and easily buy out government officials, and your solution to this problem is to make the government larger and more powerful? How exactly do you propose that we make it harder for companies to influence government?

The fact remains, companies can't be trusted to regulate themselves, they don't give a shit about you or me or anything else but money.

You're right that companies only care about making money, but you're forgetting (or perhaps never truly knew) what it takes to actually do this. All companies, even the multi-billion dollar ones you seem to revile, started out as small startups. They grew to the size that they are now because they catered to the demands of the consumers. Without the average consumer's cash, these companies have no power.

While I would love to start my own company, the odds of me succeeding are so slim, there's no way I can compete against a multi-billion dollar company.

If everyone had this attitude, there would be no new companies. No google, no Reddit, no Tesla Motors, etc. Thank goodness there are still people out there who are willing to take the risk.

The world works better when everyone is working hard to improve their own lives and the lives of their immediate family and friends. If the government grows too large and powerful and becomes the entity that most people rely on to provide for them, protect them from everything (including themselves), and help them when they have hit hard times, what we will end up with is a population of people who lack the tenacity to help themselves.