Obviously you’re as jaded as I am, but you are still confusing private and public.
A person in a GM factory is not working FOR the public. They are working for a for-profit business that sells cars.
I also don’t think it’s usually true that a lot of these schlubs could be making more in the private sector. Louis Gohmert, Michelle Bachman? NOW they might be able to, but only because they performed favors.