Recently, LWG posted:

I worked in government for more than a decade. Many appointments were
made simply because of the race or sex of the person involved. Many
of those hired were utterly imcompetent. In an office environment,
especially in ordinary government functions, imcompetence can be
tolerated, perhaps even glorified.

I disagree that "incompetence can be tolerated...", it happens, and people
have to deal with it. But, it has *always* happened, whether it be the son
of the owner that runs the company under or the MBA that made a few
critical bad decisions with the same result. It is not an issue of race or
gender.

The OP started out on the wrong foot by using language which
generates more heat than light, but I don't think anyone could argue
that the only the best qualified people should be employed in
positions crucial to public safety, such as ATC positions.

Ideally, everyone in a position crucial to public safety should be the
best qualified. However, that has never been the case, and is not likely
to ever be the case. People are selected for positions for many reasons,
only a few have to do with their actual competence or readiness for the
job at hand.

Neil