Why I could never get a government job:
Want a top job in the Obama administration? Only pack rats need apply, preferably those not packing controversy.
A seven-page questionnaire being sent by the office of President-elect Barack Obama to those seeking cabinet and other high-ranking posts may be the most extensive — some say invasive — application ever.
The questionnaire includes 63 requests for personal and professional records, some covering applicants' spouses and grown children as well, that are forcing job-seekers to rummage from basements to attics, in shoe boxes, diaries and computer archives to document both their achievements and missteps.
It's not that my past is too sordid. I've made a few mistakes, but in today's therapeutic culture, almost anything seems forgiveable. But I suspect about halfway down the first page of the seven-page questionnaire, my "none of your damn business" gene would kick in.
