Americans should support Obama's economic plan­The

Dear Editor:

Over the next few weeks there will be a great deal of criticism of President Obama's plan to increase spending from the present three trillion dollars or 21 percent of GDP (gross domestic product) to 28 percent of GDP. If this increase proves to not be enough, there is a chance that we will be heading for another depression.

In 1932, when FDR became president, he created the New Deal, the WPA and Social Security. These additions helped, but the US remained in a recession for the next eight years. What brought us out of it was World War II. Thegovernment spent wildly, hiring 16 million troops, manufacturing worked around the clock producing tanks,airplanes and other war-related products. Government spending rose to 45 percent of GDP, 60 percent higher than Obama's budget. Possibly Obama's budget is not large enough. In any case, we should support this spending increase and hope it works.

Frank Greenhalgh