What's our GDP?

Here, I'm not talking about the Gross Domestic Product.
I'm musing on our Gross Domestic Potential (my term) for the U.S. It seems to me that the American people are wasting a HUGE about of time and effort on pretty much nothing, assuming they are looking for jobs like I am. Not only are we wasting our time, but we are wasting the time (at a net loss of productivity) of the prospective employers.

And that is multiplied many millions of times by all the jobsearching going on.

I know in my case, I spend hours a day, many days, simply typing away, other hours revising or discussing my resume, making online applications, e-mailing cover letters, attending jobsearch help groups, etc.

I'm not saying there is a solution; this may be the best we have. But, if so, this is awful.

More than all that, consider the huge sums of money being spent by the government on non-workers, in the form of unemployment benefits, food stamps, medicaid, etc.
To me, that is perhaps the worst of it.
I wonder what would happen if it were required for a person to be a substitute teacher or a bus driver to receive those benefits. Or, if they are medically excused, or otherwise legitimately, alternative public works projects? I mean, staff the soup kitchens and the libraries and toll-booths! Heck, maybe all those Tea Party activists on unemployment can spend some hours a day checking government accounting for corruption!

Bring back the WPA! Put all this unused potential to SOME sort of use! Can I just be a "conscientous objector" like for the armed forces, and do useful things that support the civic effort?