Should you care about your job if no one else does?

I work in a political office in a small-ish community. There's about to be a big capacity gap, and, there are people who are creating "camps" so to speak and those people also don't like it when people who doesn't know someone who knows someone who knows someone gets hired.

It's my first real job, I enjoy it (most days) and, I care... I have some pretty solid ideas on how to fix it, but I'm an assistant, I'm not really allowed to say anything (even though everyone knows assistants do way more than their job description and knows more than they should.

Now, there is a likely hood that things may fall apart with out intervention from a few key people.

So, the question is: Should you care about what you do, if no one else does? Would you let if fall apart?

I would get a new job. Yours sounds psychotic.

If you care about what you do everyone else can go to hell. Do what you have to do.

Two very viable options...and both true. It's psychotic, but, they can go to hell.

Only care if you're going to get recognized for it. If you care and the only thing it brings you is stress, get a new job. However, if you care and do a great job, and that leads to a promotion where you can actually make a difference (and more money?) then give it your all.

I've been in that position myself.

I'm in kind of the same situation, at a business where the owners are often less-than-dedicated and the clients have an expectation of excellence, and I am left to narrow the gap. Investing yourself too much in that situation can just burn you out, but I'm not someone who can totally give up and not care, so my happy medium is just to have the most positive interactions possible with coworkers and clients, and wherever possible look for immediate solutions to issues that would likely stall if I passed them up the line. If you're going to stick around, invest yourself somewhat--even if it doesn't get you anywhere in this office, you might just meet your next boss or reference, and at least you can feel good about your part.

I have friends in city governments and other bureaucracies, and there always seem to be people in those offices who don't do much but are hard to get rid of. You can let it eat at you, or just do your best to work around them.