I don’t know about the Realtor part, but I gotta say I concur with the OP’s general assessment.
Eight years ago my wife and I moved to Temecula from Silicon Valley to be closer to family. Because of commute distance, there weren’t many employment options. I got a job defense contractor in RB. I was reluctant to work in defense – not for political reasons – but because I thought it would be slow and bureaucratic, which is not my style. But I decided to give it a shot.
I had exposure to many military and intelligence agency government employees. The 4 to 1 ratio of slackers to workers in the OP is about right, at least at the contractors. At the government offices, things do “shut down” on Friday afternoons, and before holidays, etc. No, not everyone is a slacker, but many of them are. There are lots of well-paid people doing nothing, and feeling no shame whatsoever. Accountability is nonexistent.
I eventually got a job at a smaller contractor, hoping the culture would be different. It wasn’t much better. A few motivated people carried the weight, while most just cruised. The worst part was that the whole business model was essentially structured around the lack of accountability in the process – it seemed we did nothing but “demos,” and intentionally avoided any contracts that would require more substantial deliverables. The customer (govt.) always came back for more – even though we never created anything of value. Meanwhile the owners of the company were making incredible money – I spent a decade in Silicon Valley and never knew anyone with a higher net worth than the owners of this small, obscure, defense contractor.
I grew disgusted with the whole business and eventually left for a commercial contracting company. I work much harder now, for just a little more money, but I’m much happier knowing I’m no longer part of such a corrupt system.
The OP’s point about using patriotism as a rationalization is, unfortunately, very much a reality. I certainly noticed a reverse correlation between work ethic and vocal patriotism. And it is also true that the worst offenders are almost always “Tea Party” types.
My political views tend toward the conservative – I absolutely believe we should maintain a military that is far stronger than any rival (and I have no problem with us using it.) But, from what I’ve seen, the defense business today is much more about easy money than it is about a legitimate effort to maintain national security. We need much more accountability and common sense in the process. Because of the political climate today, and the “untouchable” nature of defense spending, the taxpayers are going to be burdened with this tremendous waste for a long time. I really hope this waste does not weaken our country, but I fear that it will.
