I am always so easily fooled.

I actually got dressed for this.  I took off my jeans and put on ‘dry clean only’ pants.

Yes, you guessed it.  It was my unemployment interview.  The letter boldly states that they are interested in asking about my job pursuit goals and that indeed they have job assistance resources.  Ok, I was skeptical of the latter, but somewhat sure of the former.  So, put on my clean pants and drove 26 miles round trip – which in Los Angeles is no mean feat – witnessed a horrific car accident, and arrived on time.

Now, I love government offices, the orderliness of crinkling papers and signs in three different languages asking me to form one line.  The third language was Russian, a difference from my old neighborhood where the third language was always Korean, but I digress.

So, I get in line and when my name is called, I expect to be whisked away to some cubicle – as Jason DeParle described in American Dream – when the book’s subjects were applying for welfare.

What they wanted, however, was far different than the lofty letter’s goals.  They wanted two pieces of ID.  I demurred, and gave them my passport which I now carry like a European.  Then the lovely lady at the front desk – no cubicle treatment for me, my friends, with the painted on eyebrows, informs me that really, they just want to see me and my government issued ID in person to verify that I’m not defrauding the government of their $206.00 weekly taxable benefits.

Ok, and was I looking for a job.  Yes, I said.  Well, she said, since the big vast bureaucracy of a government can’t verify that I’m looking for employment, I should just log in to the unemployment website once per week to meet that requirement.

And for the much ballyhooed advice about looking for a job.  A printed list of websites that have job openings.  Time to drive to and from appointment in traffic clogged Los Angeles – two hours.  Time to verify that I’m not defrauding the state of California and give me the key to milking the system – five minutes.

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