We do all this self-congratulation around funding OSS companies and then end up with OSS companies that exist only thanks to government subsidization. Why? Isn’t governmental control over funding what we hate about Microsoft? What is so bad about letting real customers decide which companies need funding?

"Isn’t governmental control over funding what we hate about Microsoft?"

No. And, I'm confused why you'd think that's the problem "we" have with Microsoft or any other monopolist.

> What is so bad about letting real customers decide which companies need funding?

Because human nature means you won't get paid when something is free. There's donate options but those are not a reliable source of money.

Unless your software is big enough that you can make money through support contracts, I don't see how you can keep the lights on while being paid