The reason civil service protections exist is that when managers could fire everyone, and managers were chosen based on being the friend of the guy who just won

The reason civil service protections exist is that when managers could fire everyone, and managers were chosen based on being the friend of the guy who just won the election, it lead to massive corruption and ineffective and hollowed out bureaucracy. This was realized by everyone 150 years ago, which is why they created civil service protections to begin with. You need a better solution to that problem, otherwise you are just repeating the mistakes of the 1870s. I'm prepared to believe that there is a better idea out there. But just going back to the 1870s, with all of its problems, for sure ain't it.