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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Blah, Blah, blah.  Feds are a timid bunch who thrive on routine..  The pay is ok and the benefits are ok too.  Very few will leave.[/quote]
Unless you're at the very top, the pay is great and the benefits are fantastic. Otherwise, why wouldn't they leave for the private sector?[/quote]

My DH left the private sector (Big Law) for the Fed. Why? We didn't need the big bucks anymore and he actually wanted to spend time with his children growing up.

As for the OP's original point, in my lefty-Bethesda circles I have not heard one Fed (and I know quite a few) mention plans to leave. Of course, if things started going haywire, that might be different. I have heard that certain specific departments are worried, ones that focus on Civil Rights etc. But the Feds I know are committed to keeping this country going and recognize that staying in government will help.[/quote]

I work for a division of HHS and my experience is that these are extraordinarily dedicated people who now think their work is more important than ever. People who were around during the Bush II years talk about a mixed bag:  he believed that a free market could only work with a strong safety net, so he pushed for funding for community health centers and a few other programs, but left a whole lot of other programs dying on the vine. Not shut down, just not funded.  People didn't leave or get fired, but they could be gagged, tied up and  banished to policy Siberia for saying the wrong thing or getting on the wrong side of a political appointee.  There was a lot of fear and distrust and the daily stress of that did drive some good people out.

My immediate office has always had to struggle, so no one expects that to change.  Our mission is getting access to quality healthcare into under-served areas, mostly rural.  It's ironic that members of Congress who speak most vociferously against the Federal government are usually the first ones to issue a press release when a meager amount of federal funds make it to their areas.  No one expects there to be an increase in those funds even though these areas are in the greatest need and went decidedly red this election.

The only thing I can say for certain is that the people who currently administer these programs are going to stay for a long as they can and continue to find innovative ways to make meager funding go as far as it can.  A few will go ahead and retire, but a lot of young blood came to the mission in these last six years and they're still dedicated despite the election and low morale.[/quote]

A word about "policy".

When every policy under the sun has been written and we are 100% perfectly regulated, what does a policy maker do?

They write another policy. They don't know how to do anything else, except tell others how to run every aspect of their lives. In their minds, their work is never done. Absolute control freaks.[/quote]

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