Rally to prove feds don’t suck

Steve Ressler of GovLoop discusses this Saturday\'s Government Doesn\'t Suck rally.

By Vyomika Jairam
Federal News Radio

Do you suck? Americans think that federal workers are overpaid, underworked and underqualified; not a great combination.

But now feds are fighting back. GovLoop is hosting the ‘Government Doesn’t Suck‘ rally this Saturday.

Steve Ressler, founder of GovLoop.com got the idea for the rally after hearing about an upcoming Government Sucks! Day and Rally planned in Texas.

“You know what? I think government doesn’t suck, and we should have a rally to show all the amazing things that we are doing,” Ressler said. “Not only does government not suck, but government is actually awesome, and public service is important and powerful.”

The plan is to meet on Saturday morning near the National Mall for what Ressler said he hopes it will be a good time for a good cause. Ressler said participants will carry signs saying “I am not Red Tape,” and “What if Gov was one of us?”

“It’s not a political rally at all,” he said. “we’re basically going to chant and have a little bit of fun.”

Ressler said he wants to capitalize on the interest of visitors in town for the Rallies to Restore Sanity and Keep Fear Alive, hosted by Comedy Central comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

“I think we should have a same conversation about government work, so we’re having a little pre-rally,” Ressler said.

On the heels of a recent poll that found that the public has a negative perception of federal employees, Ressler felt something needed to be done, especially to show all the work the government does, and the challenges they face doing it. (Vote in our poll on the biggest challenge about being a fed.)

“Government has done a really bad job of defending (employees) position,” Ressler said. “People just really don’t believe government doesn’t suck, which says something about government’s brand and public perception that we need to work on.”

You can find more information on the rally here.

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