What sap would want to be the guy at the DMV counter that has to deal with a 20 year old computer system and loads of irate customers who want their tabs renewed right this minute? What sap wants to be the guy at the post-office counter at 11:30 pm on April 14th? Do you really think that TSA screener wants to feel you up/look at naked pictures of you when you go through the airport queue?
There are plenty of crappy jobs in government, just like in the private sector. Romanticizing it doesn't do anyone good.
I agree wholeheartedly - there are plenty of jobs that suck in any industry and, likewise, there are plenty of jobs to be proud of. The blanket statement that "in this country, government jobs are embarrassing" is extremely unfair and, well, ignorant.
I was speaking as a former government worker who loved his job. I'm not trying to put down government workers, it's just a fact that unless you are in something "flashy" like the FBI or CIA most people in the USA think you are not very ambitious for settling into a civil service career. You don't often hear people dreaming about being postal workers.
There are plenty of crappy jobs in government, just like in the private sector. Romanticizing it doesn't do anyone good.