Computers can't replace trained human beings

I've been unemployed since April 2010. On Dec. 27, I went to the Cedar Rapids unemployment office at Lindale Mall and found literally dozens of people lined up, patiently waiting to be helped.

Due to Gov. Branstad's layoff of Iowa unemployment office staff, there were only four or five staff available to help the crowds. They were overwhelmed.

People can't sit at a computer and find their way through the dysfunctional labyrinth of the Iowa unemployment system. They need trained human beings to answer their questions.

By closing so many unemployment offices and firing so many trained unemployment staff, Branstad has put a gun to the heads of hundreds of ordinary Iowa citizens struggling to survive.

I was shocked by how many people in line with me did not know about the unemployment office closings, which means that media coverage has been woefully inadequate. Or perhaps nobody cares until it happens to them.

As far as I'm concerned, GOP stands for Gouge Ordinary People.

Pamela Edwards

Cedar Rapids