I do work for the US government. Government jobs, even the good ones, combine all the worst parts of working for a large multi-national with all the worst parts of working in academia. You have reams of bureaucracy and even simple things can take months or years to accomplish, while at the same time advancement happens based almost entirely on seniority and politics. For GS positions, the pay is good and the job security is second to none, but the entire system is almost constructed to sap away your motivation.