“Public service is a public trust.” This, according to Standards of Ethical Conduct for Federal Employees, is the basic obligation of public service. According to these standards, “Each employee has a responsibility to ethical principles . . . above private gain.”

If this is truly the basic obligation of public service then it begs the question: What should happen to federal employees who violate that public trust when they engage in deception or fraudulent practices in order to receive government benefits to which they are not entitled?