Last week I heard a whole lot of stuff in St. Paul coming from John McCain, George Bush, and the same ol’ talking heads that back them in Washington. Didn’t hear much different or interesting, just the boilerplate Bush lingo I’ve heard for the eight years since I voted for Bush in 2000.

That was quite the contrast to what I heard from the Barack Obama campaign when they actually came to Austin on Sept. 7 to (gasp!) listen to us and our concerns. It was well worth the trip from home to hear other people with the same concerns as mine.

What a great idea, actually listening to what voters think, instead of listening to the Washington lobbyists who run McCain’s campaign. Obama’s campaign is going around the whole state on what they call the Heartland for Change Listening Tour. I got a chance to talk directly to the campaign at an economic round table at El Mariachi restaurant. We were one of the 24 stops they’re making around the state of Minnesota.

This is exactly the kind of change that we need and that Sen. Barack Obama offers. Sure the campaign talked about Obama’s plans like tax cuts for 95 percent of families and investment in new American energy to create jobs. But they also told me things I hadn’t heard before. Like that Obama was raised by a single mother who was from a small town in Kansas, how her mom and dad helped to raise him, too. They weren’t too well off and had to go paycheck to paycheck. I can relate to someone, especially a president, who has actually had to live through what a lot of “regular” people are going through right now in this economy. Obama has lived it and it shows.

I made a terrible mistake eight years ago and voted for Bush. Then he forgot what he promised and only listened to the lobbyists. Now it’s the same playbook, the same promises from the same people, lead by Bush’s chosen heir, Sen. McCain. I’m done with the same old stuff Bush and McCain have given us the last eight years. It’s time to turn things around with someone who gets it, and who listens to us and has a comprehensive plan, not just trash talk. That’s why I travelled from home to Austin. That’s why I’m going with Obama this election.

Clinton Meyer

Wells