Agree completely that its far easier today to rise to a GS-12 (or higher) than it was years ago when you actually had to do/know something to 'earn' that level. Now, at least in the DC area, its no big deal to be a GS-14. Recognize that the job security thing is a factor for many people in government, but many employees don't seem to want to acknowledge the extremely generous leave. When you retired, you were probably getting 2.5 weeks sick and over 5 weeks a year of annual--plus all the holidays.
Bottom line is, I do recognize I was well-paid, good benefits, but working conditions were not always the best. A good example, we didn't get computers until 1987, and the end product of my job was a lengthy report, as many as 20 typed pages for a very complex proposal (incl a boatload of spreadsheets, in some cases), handwritten in draft for supervisory review, and thank goodness a secretary or word processing empl typed it. Then, since most of our major contractors were within a radious of about 150 mi, I had to get out in all kinds of weather, bad weather incl; had to deal with p.o'd contractors who bristled if you legitimately questioned the cost; and often had to take up the slack for an employee who couldn't do the job, in addition to my own workload. It was no picnic, but I liked what I did, and yes, the security meant a lot.