< PREVIOUS ] [ 1988 Index ] [ Ed Quillen HOME ] [ SEARCH ] [ NEXT >
Some say that America is declining because Americans have lost the work ethic that built a great nation. But I don't think that's true. Observe that the unemployment rate, in most parts of the country anyway, is at its lowest point in years. So Americans are getting jobs. And I have just discovered that merely applying for a job takes an awful lot of work and persistence -- perhaps more than I possess.
One morning at the post office, I ran into the local factotum for Colorado Mountain College. He needed someone to teach a writing class this summer, and asked if I'd was interested.
I was. Not because there's much money in it (CMC pays about $12 per classroom hour, so you wouldn't even make minimum wage if you spend any reasonable amount of time preparing for class or grading papers), but because I was curious. I've always wondered what the world looked like from the other side of the teacher's desk.
I dropped by his office that afternoon to pick up the paperwork. There were seven forms to fill out for a part-time job that involved a grand total of 7.5 hours -- less than a typical workday -- of employment.
One classic in this pile of paperwork is the
Employment Eligibility Verification
from the
Immigration and Naturalization Service. It isn't enough for
me to swear that I'm a citizen. I have to prove it by
providing one document from Column A (passport,
naturalization certificate or alien registration card), or
one from Column B plus one from Column C.
A driver's license will suffice for Column B, but Column C demands a Social Security Card or a birth certificate, neither of which I have handy. This business of proving that you're either a citizen, or else legally within the borders of the United States, turns out to be quite demanding.
Another gem among the forms is the Oath of
Allegiance,
wherein one swears to uphold the
constitution of the United States and the constitution of
the State of Colorado.
I didn't see any problems swearing to uphold the U.S. Constitution. As for Colorado's, I figured a prudent person would not swear to uphold a document that he has never read in its entirety. So I went over to the library and found a copy in the Colorado Revised Statutes.
As published there, our state constitution covers 650 pages. Granted, most of that is not the constitution proper, but footnotes concerning court cases, wherein learned attorneys have disputed the meaning of the constitution. If they can't figure out what it says, how am I supposed to understand it so I can intelligently decide whether to swear to uphold it?
The little that I had time to examine looked tolerable. I don't plan on spending money on the 1976 Winter Olympics, and I've never wanted to spend more than eight hours a day working in a mine or smelter.
Our state constitution also provides that All persons
have certain natural, essential and inalienable rights,
among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and
defending their lives and liberties; of acquiring,
possessing and protecting property; and of seeking and
obtaining their safety and happiness.
I checked the footnotes, but I did not see that this had
been amended to read that All persons who have either a
valid passport, or one document from Column A and one
document from Column B, have certain rights...
Who's violating the spirit of constitution here? Somebody who might want to try a temporary part-time job, so that he can further enjoy his constitutional rights to enjoy life, seek happiness and acquire property? Or a government which automatically presumes that you are guilty of violating the immigration laws? As nearly as I can tell, the burden of proof is on you to demonstrate your innocence, which is the exact reverse of how things are supposed to work in this country.
So you see how complicated it can get. Those represent just two of the seven forms which must be filled out before one can even think of reporting for work and then drawing a paycheck. With five more to go, I'll be busy for days, if not weeks.
The mere act of applying for a job takes persistence and dedication. We Americans must be working as hard now as we ever have. Except now the effort goes into filling out employment forms, instead of producing goods and providing services.
< PREVIOUS ] [ 1988 Index ] [ Ed Quillen HOME ] [ SEARCH ] [ NEXT >