Howard, this isn't Social Security... they've already refused to deal with me once; their process will be starting again soon, I think.

This is our county's (and state's) Social Services board, and they are used to dealing with two kinds of people:

Non-English speaking immigrants who may or may not be illegal

and

Those who live in, ahem, "economically challenged" areas of the state, who, in my area, are usually people trying to 'milk' the system for every dollar they can get. I see them in the office waiting room by the several dozen, waiting for free money and food stamps while the women are wearing $100 sunglasses and the men have on $50 short-pants and $200 basketball shoes.

No, when I suggested once to a person at these offices that musical instruments would help me get work, they responded as a cross between grouchy parents and government bureaucrats: You'll never make enough money to live on as a musician, and if you have no income, we can't offer you assistance while you have assets of value. But if you go and play music, then you're working, so the amount of assistance you would receive would be drastically reduced.

See? It's garbage, plain and simple.

Thanks, though, for the encouragement.