My experience from working on the contractor side, and some friends' experience from working on the government side, is that the people on the ground are genera

My experience from working on the contractor side, and some friends' experience from working on the government side, is that the people on the ground are generally aware of it almost immediately. The real problem is that, oftentimes, rules that legislators have imposed with an ostensible purpose of preventing fraud and waste ironically make it almost impossible for anyone who cares and is close to the problem to do anything about it. In short, this idea that public servants are ineffective has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. But it's also a meme that is incredibly convenient for legislators and lobbyists, because it's so easy for them to co-opt for their own gain.