Linda

Linda, 48, was working as an executive director for a workforce development agency with two Nevada state contracts-the Work Force Investment Act and the Welfare to Work Act. When Bush slashed funding for these types of programs, Linda's agency was forced to close their doors in May 2003. She has spent some time looking for comparable employment, but sees that the jobs, and especially the good jobs, are nowhere to be found in today's economy.

My Story
I loved my job. I was making a good living providing a much-needed service in Nevada, working directly with people who lost their jobs and helping them deal with depression, retraining, bankruptcy and health care issues.

When Bush took office, he immediately slashed programs like mine-leaving a number of people helpless and myself unemployed. I spent some time searching for comparable work, but there was nothing out there that afforded me the same salary and work opportunity. In other words, there were no good jobs.

The fact of the matter is that we're living in an employers' market. People are desperate for work, and employers are rolling back salaries. Unemployment and underemployment are up in Nevada and all over the country, a fact our president seems oblivious to.

After all, here we are spending ridiculous amounts of money overseas when our citizens are suffering right here in America. It's an understatement to say that this president's priories are dangerously out of line.

We need to elect a president who understands the issues facing working men and women, one who won't focus his energies on flowing money back to the rich. Let's elect a president who won't talk about worker retraining programs and then slash their funding. Let's elect a president who works on behalf of the American people.