Many people I know have been approached by #Halliburton #Blackwater and #BrownandRoot And not everyone chose to work for them. While it would have been a drastically larger payday … some of us said … nah. Beyond that many have willingly gave up what you call “non-demanding environment & their govt pensions” to become #whistleblowers hoping to make the government better. Results varied. However, I’m aware of some laws being passed thanks to them so maybe it was worth it. “They absolutely do care who the president is because team blue will always make sure to keep the size of the govt growing (the red team does most of the time as well, but cuts fat more often) and their livihood in tact. “ Edward Snowden said it eloquently in his book Permanent Record “My parents were, if not dismissive of politics in general, then certainly dismissive of politicians. To be sure, this dismissal had little in common with the disaffection of nonvoters or partisan disdain. Rather, it was a certain bemused detachment particular to their class, which nobler ages have called the federal civil service or the public sector, but which our own time tends to refer to as the deep state or the shadow government. None of those … “ PERMANENT RECORD 106 “epithets, however, really captures what it is: a class of career off-cials (incidentally, perhaps one of the last functional middle classes in American life who-nonelected and non-appointed-serve or work in government, either at one of the independent agencies (from the CIA and NSA to the IRS, the FCC, and so on) or at one of the executive departments (State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, and the like). 💥💥💥These were my parents, these were my people: a nearly three-million-strong professional government workforce dedicated to assisting the amateurs chosen by the electorate, and appointed by the elected, in fulfilling their political duties-or, in the words of the oath, in faithfully executing their offces. These civil servants, who stay in their positions even as administrations come and go, work as diligently under #Republicans as under #Democrats because they ultimately work for the #government itself, providing core continuity and stability of rule. “ -////- thanks @Edward Snowden Most of the people I personally know who work for the state or federal govt couldn't find a job that they were qualified for in the private sector so they went with what they could get. ** Where I worked many people applied for years to get a job. Many took pay cuts just to get in. Obviously, our experiences and thus views are different.