I have watched with great interest how our Senators and Representatives have handled the emergency unemployment benefit fiasco. I am one of the people whose benefits were cut.

I am still unemployed.

Have I been looking for work? Yes sir, I have. I have looked, submitting resumes every day. I have tried and tried but the jobs simply are not there. I thought you might want to hear my story since you obviously do not see a need to continue the benefits. I want to show you a real person who needs them.

And I am not the only one.

See, I am autistic, Asperger’s Syndrome they call it. I struggle, but I can work and I was good at my job. So I won’t be filing for any disability income. I am not disabled.

I lost my job in April and was homeless by May. I was living in my van with my husband who had also recently lost his job. When I received my first unemployment benefit it was like someone had thrown us a lifeline.

But then this, you cut off my benefits.

We have struggled these past few months. My husband has found work. I am still looking. My Asperger’s presents some social challenges so that makes it even more difficult to find work. But having that unemployment check coming in each week was such a blessing. It meant our bills could be paid and food would be on the table.

Then you took it away.

When I was getting the benefits we were able to purchase an old RV for very cheap and that is our home now. It leaks and has a lot of issues but it is our home. We can’t afford an apartment or rental home. But we like our little home.

See, we don’t ask for much; I don’t ask for much. I would just like to be able to buy food and the things we need. I would just like to maybe fix our RV so it doesn’t leak and clean out the damaged parts so it is more livable, fix the electricity so that the refrigerator works so I don’t have to keep our food in a cooler.

All I am left to assume is that since you have a house and a job that you don’t really care what happens to me – or all those others you hurt when you took away their last hope.

And to add fuel to the fire, now those few bills I was paying cannot be paid. I simply do not have the money coming in to do that. You know what happens when bills don’t get paid? The go to debt collectors. Then my credit score takes a hit.

You want to know what happens then? Prospective employers look at my failing credit score and rule me out as a employee. They don’t hire me because I can’t pay my bills because you took away my unemployment! So now you have just made it even more difficult for me to obtain employment.

And I am not the only one.

With all due respect, sir, do you realize that you all were elected by the people to represent the people? That means that you should be working in the people’s best interests, not your own.

What I see are a bunch of haughty egos, steeped so firmly in their hubris that they could not see the people if we all lined up right in front of you.

I see a bunch of men and women who think they are gods, acting like spoiled children arguing over some silly game while you use the people you are supposed to be representing as unwitting pawns.

WE are the pawns in YOUR power struggle!

WE are the ones getting pushed around and hurt while you haggle over who is the mightiest, the most powerful, the biggest dog in the yard.

WE are THE PEOPLE. We elected you; how could you forget us?