I wasn’t expecting to spend Tuesday morning waiting on the phone to clear up an unemployment issue, but here I am. Yesterday, I waited until the usual time when the unemployment money is posted into the bank account. When I checked, the money wasn’t there and checking online and on the phone there was no information as to why it wasn’t there. So this morning I was up early, as usual, and made sure that as soon as they were open I was dialing in. When I got into the system the system said there was a claim dispute. No information about what the dispute is, either by the message on the phone or online. So since 8am I have been on hold waiting for the next representative. After being assured that my call is important to them, at 20 second intervals, I’m still waiting to talk to a representative after 20 minutes. 25 minutes and I get a ringing and Rosa answers. It seems since I filed my weekly claim out of state, being in California, my account was flagged and they wanted to know why I filed out of the state. Hmmm. There’s this thing called the Internet, maybe you heard of it. On the internet there is something called Craigslist, as well as other helpful tools that allow you to search for jobs while being out of state. Oh, by the way, I have been looking for a job while being out of state, just ask a few dozen people at Comic-Con who got my cards, friends who I asked about opportunities. I’ve got jobs 24/7 on my mind. In fact, while I was on the phone in Muzak Hell for 20+ minutes I was using my time on Craigslist shooting out resumes at two employment opportunities.

What got me really over the top pissed off was after explaining to Rosa that yes I was out of state but I was looking for a job, which is the whole point of getting off of unemployment and being what is considered a valuable member of society, I was told I have to wait a few days for a letter, yes a LETTER, to come to me, I must fill it out saying the same thing I told her, then MAIL it back in. Oh, I’m sorry I can fax it in if I like however if I had access to a fax I didn’t have to pay to use I’d probably have a bloody job! So, since it is morning and I am tired I was able to ask in a calm and rational voice, ‘can’t I just tell you, you enter it in and all is good?’ With the practiced voice of a customer service rep who has to say something they know the client will not like, she told me no. I have to wait for the letter, which might get to me by Thursday, fill it out and send it back to them, which honestly won’t get to them until Saturday I’m guessing, then I might get lucky, if they approve the out of state job search, of getting the money by Wednesday of next week. That is assuming they even approve of my out of state search for a job.

What has me incredibly hot under the collar right now isn’t just the screw up with little money left in my account. It is the accumulation of things people in this situation have to go through to get something we have been told we are entitled to. Maybe entitled isn’t the best word to use, but believe me, when I got laid off in San Diego so many years ago, I was like everyone else who didn’t want to go on unemployment. Unemployment was for ‘those people.’ It was just after the era of Reagan but the image of the ‘welfare queen’ and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps was very much part of the DNA in my body. I didn’t want a handout, I didn’t want charity, but when my money ran out and family members (re: my parents) couldn’t help, I reluctantly signed up.

When Gwyneth Paltrow of some other celebrity decided to ‘get down with a cause’ and does their bit of sacrificing, they always know in the back of their mind they can return to their real life at any time. When you are stuck and have to follow the rules and jump through the hoops, it can kill dignity. It can cripple hope. In my current unemployment situation, I have to fill out a form every week stating what jobs I have applied for. In have to do show I have searched for at least four jobs in the week, which must not be on the same day for the job to count, but I can list up to seven job searches. So for a minimum to qualify for unemployment, I have to do at least one job search for four days in the week, but the four must not be on the same day. Those entries must be put in on the next week, and once done there is a day of processing before they can be loaded into an identifiable debit card issued by the state. Now, in this case, where a hiccup in the system occurs, fixing it can take weeks. Honestly, had I known this would be the crap I had to go through, I could have waited until I got back, filed the information at home and the money would have been in my account sooner than it will take now.

What is compounding my disappointment and anger with the system is there are electronic measures in place to track my electronic movements but I have to use the equivalent of the horse and buggy to correct the issue. Another issue I just realized is why wasn’t the reason for the rejection placed online? I had to call, first of all, and since the issue of my location had to have been flagged and known my Monday, why did it take until Tuesday for it to be placed on the recorded phone system? I called Monday afternoon to the automated line and there was no mention as to why money wasn’t in the account. When I made the initial entry there was no message saying by me being out of state the entry would be questioned. Right now, 30 minutes after I made the phone call to a person and got the information I needed, the website with my information hasn’t been updated.

This little trip down the government maze has me not angry but determined, focused and dare I say it, vengeful. What I just went through makes people not only distrustful of the government but makes them want to use whatever tools they have to beat the system.