I’m with you. FrogDad works as a Civil Servant teaching new soldiers his area of expertise - which he spent 24 years on active duty learning.
The brush gets a little broad at times.
I think that it also needs to be noted that Republican congress sessions during GWB and Democrate congress sessions during GWB both increased the number of federal employees. Sure, some of it was during the bost 9/11 defense build-up and troop support with the new technology and force protection demands, but the staff load and Education virtually doubled.
The increase in federal employees is the responsibility of the Congress, with vetos possible by the current President, but the Congress and not the employees themselves who are our countrymen looking for jobs and careers.
In some areas, these employees can become an interest group with a political agenda to protect their personal finacial interests, the economy be damned, but that is hardly the case of all government employees across the board.