Discussions of government employment, especially federal, usually refer to millions of dollars, and a stereotypical worker. Government service does not exist at that level. Government service is the work of the individual who validates your claim to social security, or the individual who reviews your tax return. This article, a composite of first and second-hand accounts, tells the story of how some individual workers in federal government have experienced working for the sovereign. Readers may draw their own conclusions about the impact of existing terms and conditions of government employment on the productivity, efficiency and effectiveness of some federal government workers.