I think you are partially right and partially wrong. On the negative side, the statements about obeying government were made under the Roman Empire which was not godly nor righteous and had many similar issues to the US today. So we can't disobey all laws just because the government does evil or discourages good. On the other hand, blindly doing whatever the government tells us, especially when government laws directly contradict God's laws, is definitely not what we should do. God's laws always come first. "But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29). We always should obey God rather than man, but God doesn't promise that we won't have negative consequences when we do so.

Unfortunately it isn't as cut and dry as we would prefer.

Welcome

Being blunt as your article is blunt.

You're off base. If you've been "bludgeoned" from the pulpit with a simplistic "obey govt" you need to find an actual Bible-believing church. There is a rich heritage of thought on this, as Christianity was illegal from the start. Your article is passionate but simplistic and uninformed, and not in line with the well-thought-out arguments developed over the centuries. Take a gander at Lex Rex, God and Govt (3 book series), and the books of Daniel and Jeremiah.

Summarizing your article for others (:. = thrfr):

ㅡQuotes R13, emphasizes: Rulers are not a cause for fear of good behavior. If you do good, rulers will praise you. If you do evil, rulers will punish you.

ㅡ3 examples of present-day rulers (PDR) making life difficult, 3 examples of PDR promoting/doing evil

ㅡ:. Paul isn't talking about PDR

You've committed the fallacies of False Dilemma and Begging the Question.