[onemoreact]

The federal government pays it's rank and file with seniority fairly well, but it's executive staff are under paid as are several occupations EX: Optometrist's making ~60% as much as they would in the private sector.

I think it's best summed up as: The federal workforce is disproportionately comprised of scientists and high-end professionals and these workers earn less than their counterparts in the private sector. with the not so minor caviot that rank and file workers are over paid. What's less obvious is output from federal workers; it seems like a few people get the majority of the work done, but you tend to see that in large private companies as well.