The problem is that the escrowed key (when it is inevitably leaked) can be used just as easily by people who aren't the government. So even if you trust your go

The problem is that the escrowed key (when it is inevitably leaked) can be used just as easily by people who aren't the government. So even if you trust your government (which, by the way, changes hands every couple of years) the mere existence of an escrow key means that by definition your cryptosystem is not secure against attackers. Personally, if I were an attacker, the first thing I would target is the government's key escrow -- because you can bet your life that will be the weakest point of any cryptosystem with key escrow.