If your system relies on people going against their incentives, it's going to produce substandard outcomes. While some tech workers did decide to take pay cuts

If your system relies on people going against their incentives, it's going to produce substandard outcomes. While some tech workers did decide to take pay cuts to work at USDS & 18F, most didn't. I considered both, but then I realized that best case I'd make 1/2 as much as my current compensation. On top of that I'd be fixing or replacing legacy code, not developing skills that would be useful elsewhere. I have a sense of civic duty, but it doesn't go that far. I'm sure the same is true for many others. The net result is the same as if the government paid mechanics or doctors substandard wages: Some good talent would join out of civic duty, but the overall effect would be to lower the quality of workers relative to the private sector.