Also, you have to be a citizen to work for the federal government. Illegal aliens wreck the curve on the non-government side -- that by itself explains a pretty big chunk of the difference between the raw averages.
The author has a valid point that American culture and policy need to be more entrepreneur-friendly, but he badly damages his case by dragging in obvious junk statistics.
When you see statistical tricks like that you know you are dealing with somone who used to be a publicly professed Liberal but they’ve changed their label to make more money out of a wealthier foundation.
If that's what you think, you need to reread the entire article. The author is comparing career paths of people with similar education and experience and the federalistas beat those in the private sector hands down.
This isn't to say that there are not people in the federal work force who are worth their weight in gold and grossly underpaid.
William Casey, who was one of the architects of the collapse of the Soviet Empire is a prime example. The man was well into his 70's and could outwork men half his age. The competent policies of the Reagan Administration combined with competent administrators like Bill Casey, created an opportunity for peace and prosperity which we may never see again in a century.
But the sad fact is that dedicated public servants like Bill Casey are the exception and not the rule.