I've come across a lot of (US) govt. employees that feel good and/or proud of their current or former work and who are not "hacks." Granted most of my expereinces have been with military or civilian DoD types, but I still think the above is a little harsh and overly broad. Maybe we've met different people. I've definately known of a few "hacks" and/or people who admitted they were being paid to do nothing, but it wasn't the majority. It doesn't much if at all better in private industry, especially when unionized workforces are involved and you can't hire/fire based on merit.