• The word "bureaucrat" is, for many, a kind of slur
• For many, bureaucrats embody the worst aspects of wasteful government

Few people like bureaucrats. You know, the supposedly pencil-necked, paper-shuffling, rude-on-the-phone parasites who gave us the $3000 wrench and the $400 toilet seat. For many people, bureaucrats personify a bloated, inefficient, tax-dollar-wasting federal government.

But few people are willing to live without the services that those same bureaucrats provide. They make sure our food is safe, our drugs are pure, and our water and air are (relatively) clean. They set educational standards and provide emergency assistance to individuals and communities in need. And when a new problem or national crisis arises, most people look to the federal government to help provide a solution.

So why does our federal bureaucracy get such a bad rap? Let's take a Dr. Phil moment and examine some of our beliefs about the federal bureaucracy and the people who work for it.