I think they were responding specifically to where I said in my original post that people have accused us of “scheming to prop up a political agenda.” They were making the point that they’re just a regular person doing their job and trying to care for their family, rather than working in government with some secret malicious purpose to harm the American people. Upvoting because I think you may have just misinterpreted u/LeoMarius’s point a bit. Anyway, whatever it is, I’m glad you get to do it with some other dedicated folks. If your mission is implementing a law that helps people, or holds institutions and governments accountable, or makes sure that people have the essential services they need, or are protected from the self-interests of other people or corporations, or are treated fairly and equally, or just allows people to more easily pursue their life and happiness in some small way, that’s pretty great, and it’s something to be proud of. Agencies like EPA, HHS, HUD, Ed, and others are certainly providing for our general welfare or protecting our right to life or what have you so that we can each participate in democracy. USPS letter carriers uphold democracy by faithfully shepherding ballots to and from voters. Rulemaking agencies uphold democracy every time they accept, review, and thoughtfully incorporate public comments. And there are so many different ways that agencies with very different missions might uphold democracy or the constitution. Every time you follow the rules around ethics, impartiality, personal financial interests and personal gain, nepotism and EEO, political activities and campaigning, and others, you are upholding our democracy by preventing the formation of hairline fractures that can grow into deep fissures through negligence. And I guess, to be fair, I’ve never put my life in the path of death for my job - not that I wouldn’t necessarily, if it came to it, just that I can actually serve my country more effectively in my current capacity.Įven if your agency’s mission does not directly support the election of representatives of the people, you still play a part. I know what you mean! Military-level appreciation might be nice, but in the end I don’t need it, and I’ll do the job without it. But until then, I am glad to know that you are all here, faithfully trying to keep the ship afloat, and I’m glad to be one of you.Įdit to say thank you all so very much for your perspectives, hard truths, and uplifting words. I hope that we can someday mend the rifts in the the fabric of our society. The Trump years were very hard, but I believe many of our democratic institutions are resilient. I mean, I would have anyway, but now I might feel the choice more acutely and appreciate it more. I recognize the many, many strings of individual choices that led to Jan 6, or led to specific outcomes that day, and it is a reminder to me to always choose democracy at every opportunity, large or small. I also think about what I could do in the future. I see all of this strife and distrust, and I wonder if there was anything more I could have done, or any of us could have done, to prevent it, though I guess the answer is probably not. I know Congress is pretty dysfunctional, but seeing so much commentary online that federal agencies (DOJ, DHS etc.) primarily comprised of career civil servants are just awash in corruption and are scheming to prop up a political agenda - it’s frustrating and sad, because the civil servants I work with are dedicated to working for the American people and our democracy. I gotta say, it was hard to watch, and it made me real sad. I just finished watching the Jan 6 Committee hearing.
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