I am proudly voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden. They are correct on our nation’s priorities: we need to spend taxpayer dollars here in the United States to start to rebuild our fragile economy for our unmet industrial, education, health, energy and infrastructure needs; and carefully withdraw from Iraq to rebuild our national security.

The front page of the Sept. 19 Wall Street Journal showed how much money the Bush Administration (with a tiny amount from other central banks) has paid in the last month to bail out our financial sector – $465 billion.

Now our leaders are talking about a new “rescue” institution similar to the one that cost the U.S. taxpayers and financial institutions $185 billion during President H.W. Bush administration to rescue 747 failed savings and loan associations.

We need to leave Iraq. Reports indicate that 4,162 U.S. soldiers have died and more than 50,000 have been physically or mentally impaired. U.S. taxpayers have authorized almost $800 billion on direct military operations of this war – almost all borrowed. Our authority to remain in Iraq ends on Dec. 31, 2008. Iraq is a sovereign nation and the government and most Iraqi citizens do not want us there.

This month, Iraq is negotiating a $3 billion oil contract with China National Petroleum. Iraq has just canceled its technical oil field service agreements with ExxonMobil, Chevron and other companies. Our country’s companies are not even getting Iraq’s oil.

Philip H. Person

Orland