What issues are the most important to you in the upcoming election?

[alf]

Not a discussion on issues, just want to know what matters to you the most if you had to stack rank your top 3 issues...

War in ME? US Economy? Trade Deficit? 2nd Amendment? World Economy? US standing in the world? Abortion? Religious Freedom? Education? Real Estate Problems? Illegal Immigration? Environment? Gas Prices? Higher speed limits? What ever turns your crank.

What are the top 3 issues that drive your vote? Just the issues, not where you stand on them.

I will go first
1-Peace & Stability (Global but mostly ME for now)
2-Global Economy/Sustainable Global Prosperity
3-US Economy/Sustainable Domestic Prosperity

[cantdrv55]

There will never be peace and stability in the ME so it is not a hot button for me. I'd have to say the US and world economy, gas prices and US border security.

[Paul_Heery]

I couldn't come up with three. But, here are the two that are most important to me. I will make my vote based upon my impression of which candidate will best respect and preserve them.

1. The Declaration of Independence recognized that humans have "certain unalienable rights". My ideal candidate will govern with ultimate respect for those rights.

2. Respect for the Constitution. The Preamble sums it up perfectly.These are the rules that were established by which we govern. Give me a President who knows the rules and does not step on them.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

[Normy]

1. Social issues, such as the Separation of Church and State in our Secular Country:

A. Abortion rights

B. Gay rights

2. Economic issues:

A. The excessive influence of big business/big money on the political system.

B. The excessive budget deficit/national debt that exists.

C. The fact that dubya's worthless, unwarranted war in Iraq war has wrecked the economy.

D. The flight of jobs from the United States.

-Before, we had millions of high-paying jobs. Now those jobs are overseas, and Camry's are cheaper than Tauruses. The only problem: 10 years ago, many of those lowly line workers had no problem paying for those Tauruses. Today they've lost their manufacturing job, and work a paper-route and take food stamps to survive. They can't EVEN COME CLOSE to buying that Camry. What else can't they buy? How long before their thin wallet affects your business?


You people need to think. Republicans are destroying this country via pure greed; don't let them decimate the Supreme Court or you are going to see this place turn into christian Iran! They WILL attempt to come into your bedroom and tell you what you can and cannot do....

N!

[Jim Richards]

Incinerate Iran (freedom on the march)

Massive tax cuts for the top 5-10% of Americans

Eliminate emissions regulations on burning our cheap, plentiful coal reserves

[onewhippedpuppy]

Energy independence-real solutions, not political pandering like ethanol. Develop renewable energy sources, break ground on new nuclear reactors, domestic oil exploration, build new refineries.

Border security-secure our borders, prosecute business owners that hire illegals, streamline the process to become a citizen (require learning english and American history), drastically increase visas for high skill educated immigrants.

Fiscal responsibility-balance the budget, eliminate pork and most social programs, return more control to the state level, hold Washington responsible for irresponsible spending.

Yeah, none of that will ever happen.

[Pazuzu]

1) Tight adherence to the Constitution as the limits to Federal laws
2) Rapid and immediate removal of troops from Iraq, then putting the armed forces to work in our cities and borders.
3) Massive public education and access to "3rd party" platforms, and a concerted effort to put those people into decision making positions at various levels of the government.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

1. REDUCTION IN GOVERNMENT - both in terms of roles/responsibilities and in spending.
2. Getting our troops the hell out of I-wreck. Immediately. Preferably stick Iraq with the bill for our activities there, payable either immediately or in oil rights over time.
3. Economic sustainability in the U.S.
4. Actively working to restore trade balance (impose large tariffs on "Made in China" and elsewhere goods, offer tax incentives to U.S. companies who DON'T "outsource" production, require truth-in-labeling on the part of manufacturers, etc.) See #3.
5. Actively working to pass only BALANCED budgets and to pay down existing debt so we might possibly have a future.
6. Slamming the door shut on illegal immigration (see #3) including criminalizing it and prosecuting those who hire illegals and/or help them to procure fraudulent documents. A veto of any/all "guest worker" programs. Put out-of-work Americans to work doing these jobs or get kids off their fat lazy spoiled asses.
7. Actively pursuing energy independence initiatives (i.e. a specific, directed, organized government plan like the Manhattan Project or Apollo program with clear objectives and dates - the end goal should be 100% independence within 40 years, or better)
8. Re-establishing relationships and rebuilding shattered credibility with historical allies.
9. Allocate whatever resources are necessary to capture kill Osama Bin Laden. If Pakistan won't get it done, f*ck 'em. Take our troops out of I-wreck and put them on the mission within the tribal regions. I don't care. Let's get this motherf*cker already. Enough wastes of resources on unrelated stupidity in Iraq.
10. Complete elimination of the AMT and an overhaul/simplification of the tax code. End result should be a code that is simpler and ultimately has everyone paying lower taxes across-the-board. See #1.

more as I think of them. . .

[sammyg2]

price of oil, Immigration, Iraq, taxes.

[legion]

1) Reduction in government
2) Removing stupid laws (bans on foie gras, smoking, trans fats...)
3) Increasing personal freedom (see #1 and #2)

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

, build new refineries.

.

If the price of oil continues to climb we willl be shutting down refineries, not building new ones. People won't be able to afford gas or diesel so there won't be as much need so we'll have too much refining capacity. The major oil companies (that pull oil out of the ground instead of buy it from someone else) willl buy up the refineries from the independents like Valero, sunoco, frontier, tesoro, etc as the independents go bankrupt.
the major oil companies willl continue to run a portion of the refineries and close down the rest. At that point they will completely control the market.
Gas will be a luxury for the rich.

I really hope that doesn't happen.

[The Gaijin]

Most important issue?

Not letting the fringe of one party get a guy nominated who is far out of the political spectrum and has very little practical experience to be POTUS.

[Rick Lee]

Appointment of SCOTUS justices who will not invent new rights not mentioned in the Constitution, and will hopefully repeal or overturn invented rights by past SCOTUSes.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Normy

our Secular Country:

N!

Where do you get this crap?

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Normy

1. Social issues, such as the Separation of Church and State in our Secular Country:

A. Abortion rights

So you're fine with the SCOTUS inventing rights that are found nowhere in the Constitution and, in so doing, ignoring the 10th Amendment? Just wow. I've met plenty of women who think abortion is the biggest issue in the world, even though they'd never get one or are too old to have kids. But I never met a man who was passionate about it enough to not care that Roe v. Wade was a complete perversion of the Const. BTW its reversal would not ban abortion in the least.

[Pazuzu]

Not even through page 1, and the peeps are already breaking the OPers request.

[Noah Holcomb]

Gun Control (well, the opposing of any gun control and desire to remove the laws in place such as the 89 import ban, 86 MG ban, 68 GCA, 34 NFA. Also make the states, cities, and counties remove any gun control laws/regulations as it is the federal governments job to ensure that our rights are not being violated, and any gun control regulation by a state, city, or county is a violation of our second amendment rights)

Taxes (stop the income tax and move towards a fair consumption based taxation system, however life necessities should never be taxed)

Climate Change (opposition to any new environmental regulations, and a desire to remove some regulations that are already in place. Any politician that continually argues that we are causing climate change has another agenda, never get your science from a politician)

Health Care (Opposition to any public health care system)

Illegal Immigration (stop the illegal immigrants now, send those already here back to their home country! Any business caught hiring illegal aliens should be fined so much money there will no longer be any incentive to hire them and thus no more incentive for the illegal's to come here)

War on Drugs (Make all drugs legal, this will force out the criminal element, crime associated with drugs will drop! Making them legal will mean they are cheap and when they are cheap you will no longer have to worry about a drug attic robbing you for money. If they were legal the organized crime element would no longer have a reason to exist in this regard. Remember how well prohibition worked.... oh that's right it was a massive failure! And so is the war on drugs)

War on Terror (Bring our troops around the world back home, let other countries protect themselves, let our troops protect only our country. No more wars unless we are attacked (going to Afgahanastan was okay, but I don't care for Iraq))

Civil Liberties (no more patriot act, no more domestic spying, no more no warrant searches, heck, no more searches of any kind without a warrant even if there is the farce of probable cause. No warrant= No Search!)

The only candidate that supported all the issues listed above was Ron Paul. Too bad he will not get the Republican nomination. I guess I will have to vote for Bob Barr with the Libertarian party.