Can Government Guarantee Job Security?

President Obama got an earful yesterday at a CBS News town hall meeting from an employee at the National Zoo. Karin Gallo, a spokeswoman at the Zoo, asked the following question:

About three years ago, just under three years ago, I took a job with the federal government, thinking it was a secure job. Recently I've been told I'm being laid off as of June 4th. And it is not an opportune time for me, I am seven months pregnant in a high-risk pregnancy, my first pregnancy. My husband and I are in the middle of building a house. We're not sure if we're going to be completely approved. I'm not exactly in a position to waltz right in and -- and do great on interviews, based on my timing with the birth. And -- so, I'm stressed, I'm worried. I'm scared about what I -- what my future holds. I definitely need a job. And -- I just wonder what would you do, if you were me?

As Obama began to answer Gallo's question, she again declared that when she went to work for the Zoo, she thought her job was "important and secure." As he continued his response, he offered both sympathy for her plight and arguably his most passionate defense of government employees to date: "It frustrates me sometimes when people talk about 'government jobs' as if somehow those are worth less than private sector jobs," Obama said. "I think there's nothing more important than working on behalf of the American people."

Later, he added:

We're having to make some decisions about cuts to federal programs now, but also states and local governments are making these decisions, on programs that often times are doing a lot of good. I mean, these are good things. You know? So, everybody has a tendency to think that somehow government is all waste and if we just sort of got rid of all the waste -- well, that somehow we would solve our debt and our deficit.

In fact, most of the government services that people get are ones they really like. Social Security, Veterans Affairs, our military, our -- the help we give in terms of law enforcement, preventing terrorist attacks, making sure our food is safe, making sure that our national parks and -- are functioning. I mean, those are all things that all of us appreciate and care about. Well, that's what our government does. And so, these are not abstract questions. And I think Karin makes it really clear that there are real consequences when we make these decisions.

The exachange raises an interesting question that Obama only tangentially addressed in his response: Even if you take the position that government jobs are important and public sector employees provide essential services, can government in the 21st century be in the business of guaranteeing job security? Clearly, security was a primary factor in Gallo's decision to take a federal job. And, like many employees, she probably weighed that security against other factors in making her decision. (Of course, it also goes without saying that the prospect of facing a job loss seven months into a high-risk pregnancy is highly unfortunate whether you work in government or the private sector.)

But given the depths of the fiscal crisis facing the country, it seems like it's time for agencies to be honest with prospective employees: In an era when, as Obama delicately put it, "we're having to make some decisions about cuts to federal programs," the notion that federal employment comes with a promise of job security just isn't the case any more.

For the record, here's video of Gallo's question and Obama's response:

CBS News also has a transcript of the exchange.

(Hat tip: Ed O'Keefe, Washington Post)