"Government workers often get a bad rap, but it's rare for them to receive much appreciation when government works"
About this Quote
Public servants are easy targets. The image of the sluggish bureaucrat lingers, and every delay, scandal, or snafu sticks in memory. Yet when systems hum and services arrive on time, the people making it happen recede into the background. Reliable performance becomes the air we breathe: unnoticed until it is gone. That asymmetry sits at the heart of Matthew Leskos observation. Government failures are vivid and personalized; successes are diffuse, routine, and hard to attribute.
Part of the reason lies in how outcomes are experienced. Safe drinking water does not announce itself each morning, nor do accurate weather alerts, functioning air traffic control, or payroll deposits from Social Security. When a vaccination campaign averts an outbreak, the absence of illness feels like luck, not competence. Credit often flows to elected officials or private vendors, while blame settles on the faceless bureaucracy. Media incentives magnify this tilt: dysfunction makes news, uneventful reliability does not.
Lesko, famous for urging people to tap grants and public programs, has long argued that government can be a resource rather than a monolith to fear. His flamboyance masks a pragmatic point: behind the counters and websites are professionals who solve problems daily, often with thin resources and thick constraints. Acknowledging that reality is not cheerleading. It is an honest accounting that allows critique to land where it should and morale to rise where it is earned.
The appreciation gap matters. Chronic suspicion of public workers discourages talent, erodes trust, and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as agencies struggle to recruit and retain. When we only notice government when it stumbles, we distort the policy conversation toward cuts and punishments rather than capacity and design. A more balanced civic posture starts with seeing competence as remarkable, not invisible. Not every success merits a parade, but everyday stewardship deserves a nod, because much of modern life depends on it working quietly, and it often does.
Part of the reason lies in how outcomes are experienced. Safe drinking water does not announce itself each morning, nor do accurate weather alerts, functioning air traffic control, or payroll deposits from Social Security. When a vaccination campaign averts an outbreak, the absence of illness feels like luck, not competence. Credit often flows to elected officials or private vendors, while blame settles on the faceless bureaucracy. Media incentives magnify this tilt: dysfunction makes news, uneventful reliability does not.
Lesko, famous for urging people to tap grants and public programs, has long argued that government can be a resource rather than a monolith to fear. His flamboyance masks a pragmatic point: behind the counters and websites are professionals who solve problems daily, often with thin resources and thick constraints. Acknowledging that reality is not cheerleading. It is an honest accounting that allows critique to land where it should and morale to rise where it is earned.
The appreciation gap matters. Chronic suspicion of public workers discourages talent, erodes trust, and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as agencies struggle to recruit and retain. When we only notice government when it stumbles, we distort the policy conversation toward cuts and punishments rather than capacity and design. A more balanced civic posture starts with seeing competence as remarkable, not invisible. Not every success merits a parade, but everyday stewardship deserves a nod, because much of modern life depends on it working quietly, and it often does.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work |
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