Greg

Greg, 41, was laid-off from his job at the South Carolina Employment Security Commission last November. Overnight, he went from helping people find new jobs to searching for one himself. He's struggling to help his wife pay the child care expenses for their son by working as an interpreter whenever he can.

My Story
Putting together the book on how to deal with unemployment didn't stop it from happening to me. I worked for the state's Employment Security Commission for two years, researching unemployment and assisting people at job fairs, before I was laid off due to a state budget crunch. Now I'm in the same boat as the people I used to help.

Since losing my job, I've become Mr. Mom. My wife and I have a one-year-old son, and he fills the time that I don't spend on the job search. We're worried about paying our child care expenses. Luckily my wife is still working full-time for the state, though her agency is also targeted for major cutbacks. I've fallen back on my training as a sign language interpreter to bring in some extra money, but I want to get back into public service. I love it, and it's what I'm trained to do. I have a master's of public administration, and I want to put it to good use again in service to the community.

I know a lot of people in the same boat. Not only is unemployment a problem, but too many people are working in positions for which they're overqualified. Many are looking for better opportunities and just waiting for their chance to escape. When the economy improves and some decent jobs are finally created, there will be a mass exodus of low-paying jobs and bad workplaces.

I truly believe that there's a battle being waged between good and evil in this country. Bush and his cronies are looting our future to line the pockets of the wealthy. He's creating a situation that will, if left unchecked, collapse our government. By causing federal deficits to spiral out of control, Bush's policies will eventually force the country to take drastic measures and cut most of our social programs. This might seem great for the wealthy and big business, but it's bad for the rest of the country.

The winner of this election will be key to our country's fate. I say that we can't afford Bush anymore: He's fired. Let's lay off President Bush and make him stand in an unemployment line. Then maybe we won't have to.