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0 pointsijustlovemath11mo ago0 comments

Perhaps, but the profit motivation is completely different. One's there to serve and the other to bill hours.

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Based on my personal experience and that of many others I know, that's about as wrong as one can get. A great many government workers are there to collect a paycheck and go home (just like many other people working for many other employers). Their commitment to 'the mission' hovers near zero.

Just ask them.

Where do people get these crazy ideas about government employees? There are some wonderful people in public service, but it's not some Wonkaland of saints who toil just to help others and do the right thing.

ijustlovemathOP11mo ago

Personally, I get this from my interactions with the reviewers at the FDA. Absolutely buried in work, always make the best effort to improve your submission, etc.

whimsicalism11mo ago

fda reviewers are extremely out of distribution relative to almost every government worker except those at, say, the Fed. i would caution against trying to generalize that because it is mostly people taking a short term stint out of their profssional/academic career.

sorta like dining in a michelin restaraunt and deciding that cafeteria workers are really good at cooking

icedchai11mo ago

Yeah, it's not binary. I personally know government tech workers, true civil servants, that care and are clearly there to serve. These are the type of people you want in government. Yes, the opposite cliche that goes home right at 5 after barely doing anything also exists. I briefly worked with an ex-government "product manager" type that was clueless AF. I'm not sure how they even held on to their former job.

s1artibartfast11mo ago

Both are there to collect a check. One can get fired for doing nothing and the other cant.

ijustlovemathOP11mo ago

I'd counter that the cost to the American taxpayer is far less when you avoid the consultant upcharge, all else being equal.

s1artibartfast11mo ago

Perhaps, but that is an entirely independent claim from the idea that government employees are passionate self sacrificers

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aerostable_slug11mo ago

Just ask them.

ijustlovemathOP11mo ago

Personally, I get this from my interactions with the reviewers at the FDA. Absolutely buried in work, always make the best effort to improve your submission, etc.

whimsicalism11mo ago

sorta like dining in a michelin restaraunt and deciding that cafeteria workers are really good at cooking

icedchai11mo ago

s1artibartfast11mo ago

Both are there to collect a check. One can get fired for doing nothing and the other cant.

ijustlovemathOP11mo ago

I'd counter that the cost to the American taxpayer is far less when you avoid the consultant upcharge, all else being equal.

s1artibartfast11mo ago

Perhaps, but that is an entirely independent claim from the idea that government employees are passionate self sacrificers

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse