In case I confused somebody, I said, "Working for the government is a job. The government is a business," which is true. The people who work for the government are not joining the priesthood or a convent. They are not selflessly enslaving themselves to an all-powerful government. They are working people, just like the rest of us. They have a job to do, and expect wages and benefits commensurate with the responsibility and difficulty of the job. And, government, like any other employer, has to pay out whatever it takes to get and keep good employees.