Do you think that a majority of career government employees are conservatives? In a "Sociology 101" class that I took..

[FadedMullet]

....back in the Dark Ages (1965) I remember that bureaucrats were described as personality types that valued or needed structured work environments, compartmentalization, job security, etc. etc. Creativity, change, even job growth were not high priorities. I think that more than a few of the government workers who have been "Doged" out of their jobs are probably now rather disillusioned right wingers who now realize that they were the "deep state" that Repubs were complaining about all along.

[Ping Tung]

1. I n 1965 I was still in the marines but ending my enlistmen of 4 years.

Later I was a postal employee for 26 years.

In those 30 years of being a fed and now a retired fed I have moved political from the far lest to not so far left. In those days most of the marines I encountered weren't much interested in polices though they didn't think much of JFK or LBJ. I was in the USPS in California and Oregon. I would guess the the most of the PO workers from top to bottom were moderates who leaned to liberal. I think things are much the same now.

[FadedMullet]

4. Thank you, I appreciate your insight as it does ring true.

[Freddie]

2. Maybe a long time ago

Government jobs are generally protected by unions, anathema to RWNJs.

[FadedMullet]

5. That's true and is no doubt a source of the right's fixation on the "deep state".

[Iris]

3. I think there are people who like a stable work environment for many reasons, most of which would not be a consideration

in 1965

For example, neurodivergent workers, workers who have children and a partner who also works, workers with specialized training and a commitment to a particular type of work (I see this in academia and libraries but am also thinking of public health, scientists, healthcare professionals)

[FadedMullet]

6. Thank you. Yours is the third comment that makes me think that reasoning based on 1965's reality is flawed.

[Blue Full Moon]

7. They like to hire republicans.

[RobinA]

8. I've Worked Private Industry

and government (state) and I don't see a big difference in the two workplaces other than what arose from them being in different businesses. I started in private industry where I worked for about half my working life and then I moved to government. Government used to be more stable, the conditions were kinda crappy, the pay was less, and the benefits were better. In terms of structure etc., I don't see a big different. I never found private or public to be more red or blue than the other. I think a lot of people working in government are there because there are things you can do in government that you can't do in private. Or there used to be. For instance, I had a cousin who spent his whole career at NOAA because he started as a meteorologist way back when there was no (or not much) private industry doing meteorology. He made a jump to satellites when government was the place to do for that as well.

I personally went public because I had endured 12 years working in a place that laid people off every damn day and finally got around to me. Extremely stressful. That actually worked out, I changed careers, didn't what to spend the next half of my life fearing layoff, so I went public. Also I needed a pension because I am single and had only one measly income. I will also say that the private employees are no less likely to waste time, leave early, cheat or steal than government employees, despite the mythology.

[DavidDvorkin]

9. That was not my impression during my years in the US Civil Service.

[Igel]

10. Last summer somebody published numbers on (R) vs (D) donations from various government agencies.

Some that were science/economics related reached, if I recall a-right, 30% or more towards (R) candidates and party PACs and causes. The rest were far lower.

Some didn't hit 10% towards (R) candidates/party PACs/causes. Dept. of Education was nowhere near 10% in conservative donations.

I don't recall any getting to 40%, much less a "majority" for any single dept.

The numbers in summer 2024 weren't that different from summer 2020 or summer 2016.