You Too Can Be a Bureaucrat

Time has a "web exclusive" on impending government 'brain drain':

Over the next five years, over half of the federal government workforce is likely to retire, completely gutting vital agencies like the Centers for Disease Control, the Internal Revenue Service and Veterans Affairs… What happens when the brain drain hits the Federal Trade Commission, which investigates Internet fraud? Or the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which makes sure kids don't choke on toys?

What, indeed? And even as the choking epidemic looms, no one seems psyched to snap up those hot CPSC jobs:

While the private sector has boasted of its commitment to quality and efficiency, the public sector still has a reputation branded by that notorious phrase, "good enough for government work."

Isn't it weird the way people think of government as ineffectual, even before the 'brain drain' hits? As the author explains, this wacky cultural perception is dead wrong:

The truth is, the average American would love one of these jobs—but they don't even think to look. Out of sight, out of mind. The government will need to wake up to the modern age, using recruiters and newspaper advertising.

So wake up, government! Newspaper advertising is the wave of the future.