Updates for Wednesday, September 17th [2003]

My quest for employment

9/17/2003

MY DEAREST ACQUAINTENCES,

The last few days I have been, per Daniel's instruction, questing for some labour to Provide for the household. He instructed me to get many more of these "applications" which we will fill out together, but I Question the nature of that. I enquired why so much was needed to seek employment.

Me: "It seems to me that having so much paperwork to file and process would hinder the ability of the underprivileged common people to get jobs."

Daniel: "Oh, you see, it's required, they need it for tax information and such."

Me: "Tax? I don't understand. What kind of tax?"

Daniel: "Well here, let me get my pay stub. Let me go grab one, I'll show you..."

Me: "So what are you telling me, that it is a law I have this information before I can gain employment? That makes no sense to me. I understand why one might file for a request to work, but what is wrong with a businessman, free in his gains, seeking to speak with a hard worker, him conferring with this man to his abilities, and seeking to fill a place of labour with his skills?"

Daniel: "I can't find the pay stub. Anyways, yeah, something of a law. How else can the IRS keep track of how much you owe?"

Me: "What is this 'IRS'? I'm afraid I don't understand. I don't feel comfortable knowing all this information is required by legislation before one can simply seek work. Men like me can't get labour very easily having to fill out so many forms."

Daniel: "It's no big deal. Everyone does it. That's why they say that 'the only thing worse than work is looking for it'."

I find the attitude Adopted by my good friend Daniel to be strange. I question dearly many of the ways of the world now. There is probably a lot of things I do not understand about it. He also mentioned something about Identification papers that I need, he will order a fake card from a friend of his abroad the Enternet. This is another thing which distresses me, the need for Identification papers. He tells me it is not legal to wander the city streets without "ID" on your person.

He put the fake Identification on a fast parcel courier, so I should be able to return these applications by the end of the week, when he'll help me finish completing the application documents. During the last several days, I prepared myself for much travel, collecting over 20 papers to subscribe for work. The strange merchants and markets I visited confused me. Especially one shoppe, "Radio Shack", which had a bunch of seemingly useless boxes. I did not quite understand the materials they were made from. I did however see a Enternet machine sitting there, which the merchant tried to grant me interest in, with my humble decline, I assured him that I had one of my own.

A place that entertained me was a eatery, called McDonald, as I went in he offered me food. I Declined, but Did observe that many families ordered many strange packages and parcels of foods from this place. The horseless carriages seemed to be couriers for these foods. It is interesting how this society works.

Daniel promises me his Mother will afford the $50 to him that he said he'd grant me for allowance, so I can have it tomorrow. I will surely try some of the fine eateries in the area. I have also been meaning to sample some ice cream. With my youth comes vigor, to endear myself & my time to the fine pursuit of learning about this new land. It seems essential to me, for whatever reason it is that I am here, that I must learn more; perhaps, if for nothing else, my survival.

Let me also note that as I walked, I drew interest in the direction of the wind, but over no home could I manage to find a weathervane. How do people determine things like the weather? I asked Daniel this, and he said the TeeVee (which he has since taken to calling the "Bube Tube", for whatever reason) has a station where you can watch the weather. I sat in amazement. He turned it to this "Weather Channel" and a man instructed me on the broad ranges of weather patterns. Many measurements I understood but many others I did not. The map he had appeared alive, and how this was accurate I had no clue. I asked Daniel if he knew how these scientists foretold the weather, Daniel claimed it was satellites and radar. I am unfamiliar with these tools but would be enterested in their study.

I must return to researching Historical documents to find out more about the occurances today. I am beginning a chapter on a great War of the World, which Daniel told me, happened on two occassions. What I will say from the History novel is that history did not remember the ferocity of Napoleon Bonaparte enough, Bonaparte has been the author of more misery and suffering to the world, than any being who ever lived before him. I asked Daniel what he thought of such records, but he said the only thing he recalled about Bonaparte was his short stature and that he had a water slide. I wondered exactly what parts of the history novels school teachers instruct their students to read.

Your affectionate friend & humble servn't,

- Thomas Jefferson

Editor's Notes:

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Bringing Old American Truth to confront the New American Myth

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