the way the squeaking cogs of the state tumble

The secret to getting anything done is to apparently start talking out loud to multiple people about quitting your job because you're losing the ability to deal with the bullshit. This causes multiple people to go into a spin, resulting in lots of meetings about what they are going to do to make sure you keep working. Then you have to go to at least two different meetings with three different bosses about what they want to do to try to keep you here. Then your boss will give you three days of paid leave and someone else will dangle the possibility of a new job at the agency within the next six months.

I can only hope that agreeing not to quit was not a stupid decision. I can only hope I'm not being a naive fool in thinking actual effort will be made to get this taken care of so I'm not tempted to beat my head against a wall. I don't want to walk away from job only because I would feel so much guilt about abandoning an agency that so desperately needs good people. Remaining hopeful in this place however makes me sort of insane.

The immediate benefit of this situation is that the petty, vicious little harpy who sits at my desk at night received a pretty harsh smackdown.