Fired Government Workers Are Mad At The Wrong Person
Eddie Scarry
As fun as it is hearing the testimonies of weeping “career civil servants” (unaccountable bureaucrats) dismissed from their make-work jobs by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative, these people have every right to be angry. Their anger is, however, misplaced.
The New York Times’ “The Daily” podcast had a particularly enjoyable episode this week featuring countless bureaucrats describing their emotional turmoil as a result of having recently lost their jobs. One guy said it was his “dream job” to work as a bureaucrat because, “you’re a citizen, and that’s the best thing that you can do.” Talk about an underachiever.
But one of them said he felt “betrayed.” A former Department of Education employee said the same thing this week on CNN.
In all sincerity, they have every reason to feel that way, but they weren’t betrayed by Musk or President Trump or the voters who put them in power to do exactly what they’re doing. They were lied to by an endless series of people predating 2025, both Republicans and Democrats, who had no right telling anyone they were being given a permanent, taxpayer-funded job with the federal government. And that’s to say nothing of the unjustifiable salaries, benefits, and retirement packages with negligible productivity requirements.
more
https://thefederalist.com/2025/02/19/fired-government-workers-are-right-to-be-mad-but-theyre-mad-at-the-wrong-person/
