One Hundred Three: Government Jobs And Pay

First of all, why do people go to work for the government? The main reasons are benefits and job security. Everyone agrees that the benefits are fantastic. And how many government workers do you know who have been fired? Probably very few, if any. You have to be a real screw-up to be let go by the government. Mediocrity to incompetence is not only tolerated in government work, it is encouraged. So to get fired, you have to be outside that range. In fact, the occasional well-qualified government employee probably has a better chance of being fired than the typical under-qualified. If you're smart and know what you're doing, it would be difficult to function and exist with a bunch of morons. You would stick out like a sore thumb, and make everyone else look bad.

Second, why do government employees appear to be paid more than private sector counterparts? Maybe because the pay HAS to be higher in order to even get people to apply. Have you ever watched the faces of people going to work at government offices? They look like they're going to an execution. At some level, these people know they are existing in positions which provide no value (other than to themselves alone) to society, have no positive impact. They are a drain on the economy, rather than a contribution. And once a person is entrenched in a government career, they are unlikely to ever to advance in positions of authority and responsibility. They will get cost of living increases, but will never get the structural increases which come from career advances. In other words, their station in life will never change.