As someone who worked in the public service for some years, I can honestly say that while the public service (up to a point) definitely serves a useful purpose, the relentless expansion of programs and numbers is indeed a kind of self-fulfilling cycle.  Managers are often paid on the basis of how many people are under them, which is quite the incentive in itself.  Because you are in public service, it doesn't mean that the same forces of greed and ego that drive others in the private sector aren't there - it's just that many public servants need to find new ways to express themselves.  Because, in the end, the public is paying for that greed and ego, as well as the privilege of getting ever more rules and regulations wrapped around their lives.  They need to be kept appeased.

This was a rather weird article, I must say, but while I wouldn't 'fear' the public service, I would certainly do much to keep it in check.