Your story is typical of private sector employees in today’s economy. So you do get it. There is a problem, though, with the media portraying federal employees mostly as victims. And it will only get worse unless something can be done to prevent Obamacare from taking full effect.
I've been down and out, almost killed in a car accident, scraping by day to day, never living high on the hog, driving 16 and 18 year old cars, and watched as others around me promote into higher paying positions because they kiss a$$ and not because of their actual skills or knowledge. I've watched other people get jobs I can do only because they're of the "in crowd."
Heck, one current federal employee in my building got his job only because someone in my office sent him the "core doc," what is actually called the "position description." Yep, they sent him the document that told him what the job entailed so he could change his resume to match it and get on the list of potential hirees. So not only is management unethical, but they are corrupt as well (and these are supposed "Christian" gentlemen).
I think I will always be a GS-04 because I tell management that they suck at their jobs, that they are unethical, unprofessional, and that they are wrong to fill the positions through cronyism and nepotism, two concepts that are illegal to use within the federal employment system.
I'm not bitter, am I???