Dear Mr. President:

I was watching the Sunday morning talk shows today, and I decided the time had come for me to give you a piece of my mind. I know you are aware of how hard I worked to get you elected -- you keep sending me emails telling me how much you appreciate what I've done so far. Then you ask me to do something else. I'm cool with that. I understand the Saul Alinsky brand of community organization; I'm a Chicago girl. But Mr. President, I've gotta tell you: It's time for you to start delivering!

I heard Valerie Jarrett spout the litany of things you have accomplished since January, after she said one more time that "we have to remember the mess he inherited." Well, my birthday happens to be November 4, the same day all of us succeeded in sending you to the White House. So it's easy for me to remember that you have been at this for almost a year now. As you like to say, "Let me be clear:"

• I was laid off on February 28, 2009. I have been looking for a job ever since. I have even applied for some of the Federal jobs advertised under the Recovery Act. I have never had the courtesy of a reply from anything other than a computer. Where are the jobs you keep referring to? I read about programs in place to try to put seniors back into the work force, and at almost 65, I certainly could use some help landing a job. But I don't see any jobs listed under the programs.
• I put my home on the market on March 15, 2009. I discovered, to my shock and dismay, that the value of my house declined some $200,000 since the last time it was appraised in 2006. Not one offer came in before the listing expired in September.
• I have been talking to Wachovia Mortgage since March 2009, trying to get myself positioned with a loan modification so that I can avoid going into default. They are still not offering a loan modification under the Housing Affordability and Stability Plan you announced back in February 2009.
• I received my property tax bill two months late, because my county's tax commission couldn't figure out what to do about the loss in property values. Guess what they did. They raised my already exorbitant taxes another $400!
• Thankfully, I do receive Unemployment Insurance benefits for the time being. Soon they will run out. But I am paying income taxes on these payments! Why? How hard would it be to suspend income taxes on UI benefits, leaving us with a little more to try to survive on?

Mr. President, I understand that your plate is overflowing, what with Afghanistan, health care, Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Wall Street Behaving Badly, and so on. But I'm sinking fast over here. When are you going to force these states and municipalities who are receiving all this stimulus money to pass it on to those of us who are paying for it?

Talk is cheap, Mr. President, and frankly, I'm having a hard time defending you and your policies when all my family members and friends are losing everything they have worked for all their lives. Please do whatever you have to do to start producing some results. I'm on your side, so I can imagine how frustrated those who aren't must feel. Can we count on you?