At least according to the person on the other end of the line. I’m incompetent, uncaring, selfish, arrogant, uneducated, stupid, lazy…..(I don’t think I got them all – feel free to add to the list). I’m a moron, an idiot, a nazi, a pansy-ass, a jackass, a loafer, and various things that I won’t repeat. YOU pay MY salary – so I should be at your service and at your mercy! You’re gonna have me fired – if I don’t do what you tell me!

I get up early every morning and go to work committed to doing the best job that I can to help people. I put in long, sometimes arduous, hours trying to connect people with the help they need, while also doing my part to contribute to my team effort. I am a public servant and always remember that – my job is to help the public. I understand that they pay taxes that go towards my paycheck – BUT – I also pay taxes that go toward my paycheck. (Funny huh? I pay my own salary and I don’t get to deduct any of it).

I do this job because it’s my passion. I am dedicated and passionate about public service. I do it because I understand it and know I can endure the rigors of it and the crap that goes along with it. My peers, with very few exceptions, are the same. We know we’re doing a job that most couldn’t and working to do the best with what we’ve got.

Here’s the thing. It doesn’t seem right, that during times of crisis, when we’re all under siege, we start attacking and blaming public servants because we’re not getting help as fast as we think we should. Imagine a business that normally serves 50 – 100 customers a day, with a staff of 3 or 4 (working at capacity), on 1 or two points of service/sales, and 1 or 2 phone lines. One day – 5000 people show up demanding product – NOW! Then more and more people keep lining up behind them. While the staff is being overwhelmed, people start demeaning the employees and talking them down. Weird huh? Along comes someone – demanding that they hire more help! BUT! Their job entails handling sensitive personal information (protected and governed by law and regulation) and requires background checks and a timely training process to master and do CORRECTLY. Imagine their point of service is only designed to handle their normal business load and tied to a server that can’t handle the additional load and is necessarily tied to a secure network. But all of a sudden, they and their employees are incompetent, uncaring, selfish, arrogant, uneducated, stupid, lazy, and incapable. Sad huh?

It’s starting to raise my hackles (I didn’t know exactly what that meant – Google!!! – I looked it up – you can too) listening to people starting to pick apart and demean government employees. Been doing this public service thing for a little while at several levels of government. Believe me – we are working our butts off trying to deliver what people need. We are as frustrated as everyone else and there’s a good chance we’re working overtime and some of us are risking exposure to the threat in doing our jobs. We didn’t suddenly become morons, idiots, nazis, a pansy-asses, a jackasses, or loafers. We’re experiencing most of the same problems and frustration as everyone else.

Not looking for any special recognition, compensation, or thanks. A little respect, common courtesy, and understanding goes a long way. You’ll get it from me whether you give it or not – it’s part of being a public servant.

Take care….we’re all in this together.