4 ms·

You've 'thought about' going and getting a high ranking government job (seniority equivalent to an armed forces general)? You must have some very impressive cr

You've 'thought about' going and getting a high ranking government job (seniority equivalent to an armed forces general)? You must have some very impressive credentials...

logfromblammo 10y ago
That's not quite the thought process. You look at the pay you earn now, in a non-government job. Then you go to look at the government pay scales. You determine that in order to maintain a similar standard of living as you currently enjoy, you would have to be ranked on the government pay scales equivalently to a general in the armed forces, or a consul in the diplomatic corps, or any of a number of other positions that literally require a lifetime of dedication to advancing a bureaucratic career, and a great deal of specialized experience or political capital. The "thinking about it" generally lasts about 30 minutes. The highest-likelihood logical conclusion is that all high-ranking government officials are being richly remunerated through channels that do not pass through the US Treasury or GAO oversight, such that the total value of their office is comparable with a similar position in the private sector. Those that do not can instantly find higher-paying jobs that can effectively monetize their former connections for their new employers. This is the primary reason why the bureaucracy cannot keep up with technology. By law, they cannot make a competitive employment offer. They are forced to hire through contractors. And contractors, through mutual self-interest, exploit that weakness without mercy. I was once asked by an Army captain to consider working directly for the government, and it took quite a lot of restraint to bottle up my guffaw and laugh it out later, outside her hearing range. The Feds simply cannot hire me to its own payroll with that hulking slab of a padlock on its wallet. So instead, it pays 4 times the rate I would ordinarily accept instantly to a contractor employer, who offers 0.10 to 0.35 of that to hire people ranging in quality from chairwarming jobsworths to eccentric geniuses.

You've 'thought about' going and getting a high ranking government job (seniority equivalent to an armed forces general)? You must have some very impressive credentials...

logfromblammo 10y ago

That's not quite the thought process. You look at the pay you earn now, in a non-government job. Then you go to look at the government pay scales. You determine that in order to maintain a similar standard of living as you currently enjoy, you would have to be ranked on the government pay scales equivalently to a general in the armed forces, or a consul in the diplomatic corps, or any of a number of other positions that literally require a lifetime of dedication to advancing a bureaucratic career, and a great deal of specialized experience or political capital. The "thinking about it" generally lasts about 30 minutes. The highest-likelihood logical conclusion is that all high-ranking government officials are being richly remunerated through channels that do not pass through the US Treasury or GAO oversight, such that the total value of their office is comparable with a similar position in the private sector. Those that do not can instantly find higher-paying jobs that can effectively monetize their former connections for their new employers. This is the primary reason why the bureaucracy cannot keep up with technology. By law, they cannot make a competitive employment offer. They are forced to hire through contractors. And contractors, through mutual self-interest, exploit that weakness without mercy. I was once asked by an Army captain to consider working directly for the government, and it took quite a lot of restraint to bottle up my guffaw and laugh it out later, outside her hearing range. The Feds simply cannot hire me to its own payroll with that hulking slab of a padlock on its wallet. So instead, it pays 4 times the rate I would ordinarily accept instantly to a contractor employer, who offers 0.10 to 0.35 of that to hire people ranging in quality from chairwarming jobsworths to eccentric geniuses.