Love Gov: From First Date to Mandate, the Independent Institute’s five-part, satirical video series personifying the cost, folly, and intrusiveness of government run amuck, has gone viral with over 1.5 million combined YouTube views.

Telling the story of Alexis Smith and her overbearing boyfriend, Scott “Gov” Govinski—the stand-in for every meddlesome government do-gooder—Love Gov shows the human cost of the student-debt burden, job-killing workplace regulations, costly housing policies, bureaucratic healthcare, and privacy violations.

Alexis’s loyal friend Libby tries to help her see Gov for what he really is—a menace. But will Alexis come to her senses in time? If you haven’t done so, please tune in and find out—then share with friends on social media! (You can easily find Love Gov via YouTube, Independent.org, MyGovCost.org, or your favorite search engine.)

“Love Gov is a way to help anyone, especially Millennials, understand the federal government’s ever-expanding reach into personal lives,” said David J. Theroux, founder and president of Independent Institute. “It’s a lighthearted approach to reach audiences on a personal level, and inspire them to learn more and take action.”

The series, which Independent produced in association with Emergent Order, also promotes the updated MyGovCost mobile app, which features our Government Cost Calculator. The calculator enables users to estimate their lifetime federal tax liability, their contribution to various federal spending categories, and the amount of money they would have amassed if they had earned a modest 6 percent annual return on the money they fork over every year to the U.S. Treasury.

The release of Love Gov also accompanies the overhaul of MyGovCost.org. Visitors are now treated to updated descriptions of federal spending categories, a revised FAQ, and features that illuminate the problems that our bumbling, video villain Gov creates for Alexis. First launched on August 31, 2010, MyGovCost and our Government Cost Calculator were created to help people better understand how federal spending and taxation affect their lives.