To the Editor:

In reading “Failing by Example,” by Thomas L. Friedman (column, May 16), I was reminded of a job interview I had in the late summer of 2002. I had applied for a position with the Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, the state administrative officer position in Indiana, and had a phone interview scheduled.

As the interview was winding up, I was feeling very good about it, when the question came up: “How do you feel about the Bush tax cuts and the rebates?” I was floored, never expecting such a question. I had been working in the human resources field for years, and recognized right away that this question bordered on inappropriate.

I mustered the best neutral response I could think of, and the interview concluded. It has always struck me that that question was somehow an attempt to discover my political leanings. Now I know for sure.

Michael Scherger
Syracuse, May 16, 2007