Barack Obama has a plan to increase the size of government, spending a trillion dollars on programs that will supposedly make our lives better - to create a government-run health care system, to pay for kids to go to college, on and on. How will he pay for all this? He won't. We will. Do you really believe he won't raise taxes? Does our government ever run anything right?

As an independent voter I will vote for John McCain. I know he doesn't speak as eloquently as Obama, but he has a better plan: smaller government, cutting all Americans' taxes, including businesses small and large, tax credits to pursue our own health care plans, a strong military.

The only change you'll get with Obama is what's in your pocket, and you might want to hide it.

STEVE LEARY

Concord