Only you defend goverment beauracrcy. I have two friends, a husband and wife, who both work at a VA facillity. She worked for the IRS and had an idiot promoted to her boss and couldn't take it any more. She didn't want the job but several other imminently more qualifed did, and were passed over because of the "Peter Principal". Everyone knew whe was an idoit, and lazy, vindictive, loud mouthed and obnoxious, but her supervisor got rid of his problem by helping get her promoted. After getting in ther VA and seeing what a gravy train it was she told her husband to apply. He is a journeyman electrician, union but not hardcore. He worked non union jobs when he had to pay the bills. He has always joked about how much harder he had to work on non union jobs, but the VA is a joke. He may work 2 hours on a hard day, the rest of the time he rides the gravy train like everyone else.