A native of Iowa now resident in Wisconsin, I have a lively interest in the economies and futures of these states and worry greatly about the potential effects on them of the policies proposed by John McCain in his presidential campaign.

We have problems. The economy is in tatters. We are losing our competitive edge in technology and importing more high-tech products than we export. We face critical challenges: Satisfying our energy needs without foreign oil and gas, controlling global warning, promoting technological innovation and competitiveness, furthering medical research and ensuring national security.

The energy issue is especially important in Iowa. We must power our farms and factories and heat or cool our homes in a climate with wide extremes, and are paying higher prices for gas and electricity. To attack the energy problem, Barack Obama proposes to double federal funding over the next decade on the development of clean and efficient renewable energy sources. This push will generate many new jobs, and Iowa could benefit greatly as a center of the renewable energy industry.

John McCain proposes instead a freeze on funding, holding research on renewable energy at its present inadequate level and attempting to drill our way out of our energy problems. That approach that cannot be sustained as the nation's - and the world's - oil supplies dwindle. In contrast to Obama, he also intends to freeze the investments needed to solve the other challenges noted above. I urge you to consider these policy differences when voting.

Bernice Black Durand,

Cross Plains, Wis.