5 Most Important

[Jesuslove]

I'm curious as to the five most important factors that will decide who each of us votes for...

My top 5 are:

1. The War - I want it to come to an end and our troops out of Iraq within the next two to four years.

2. The Economy - Whoever becomes President, I want them to address macro economic issues (factors that affect our national economy, trade, the weakening dollar, our national debt, etc.) and micro economic issues (the things that affect each of us ie. price of fuel, food, healthcare, etc.).

3. Poverty - In my opinion, the next administration needs to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the ever growing poverty in America.

4. Universal Healthcare - I think once and for all, our government needs to come up with a strategy to ensure that every American has some form of health insurance. In addition, our government needs to negotiate pharmaceutical prices so that the cost to our government is contained.

5. Repairing America's Image - One of my biggest complaints of the Bush administration is that they have made more enimies than friends around the world. I feel it's time to repair our tarnished image and work to regain respect from the world community. I think strong foreign relations will be an essential element of the next administration.

[WeaselInYerFoot]

What a good idea.


1- The war on terror. I want the government to specify who the enemy is and go after them. Rather than making it a war against a vague term (terrorism is a tactic, not an enemy).

2- Economy (Spending). The war is #1 because the economy depends so much on how our foreign policy runs. As it is right now, we spend too much overseas to even concern ourselves with local security. We are in the red, we either raise taxes to afford what we are spending, or cut spending. Meanwhile, our dollar drops and international companies start taking advantage by buying out half of the major national corporations. Not only that, but why the heck are we selling weapons to Saudi Arabia while we defend Israel at the same time?

3- Border Security. I am and will always be in support for allowing people to come into the US (through a more fair, reformed immigration policy). But the fact that the president harps on about how terrorists are waiting to attack us at the next corner (and that Michael Chertoff’s gut continues to warn us about the next hit since last summer) while they completely ignore the border issues makes everything they say about our security and safety a complete joke. It's as if a home owner heard rumors that his neighbor was about to rob his house, so he rushes over to the neighbors to confront them, all while leaving his front door wide open. But sadly, not much people catch on to this.

4- Abortion. We seriously need someone who will actually work on this. Not just overturn Roe v Wade (making it illegal is not enough), but push the states to make some programs that will avoid pregnancy, or make adoption for others easier.

5- Lobbying. This is a big issue today, and very much overlooked. This needs to end. We don't need McDonald's paying a politician to keep their crappy food in schools. We don't need any company pushing their product to the public through the government. Period.

[in hiding]

fiscal responsibility
War on terror - see the weasels response (thanks you saved me a lot of typing ;) )
immigration - get a handle on security and immigration
lobbying

healthcare/ abortion are about equal (reform for each of them)

[clemsontigers23]

1. Economy - I want NAFTA and other free trade agreements done away with, and I also want corporations kept in check. I want the IRS abolished and a Fair Tax implemented.

2. The War on Terror - I want a president who's not afraid to stand in the face of public scrutiny and continue to fight for what he knows is right. We need to be in Iraq whether you agree with the war or not. We don't want another crazed dictator to take over. I also want someone who will stand up to Iran.

3. Abortion/Embryonic Stem Cell Research/Cloning - Overturn Roe v. Wade. Make abortion illegal in most cases, if not all. Aborting for social reasons is unacceptable. Put the child up for adoption. Also, make the abortion pill illegal. It kills the child in the 9th month of pregnancy which is supposed to be illegal. Also, no more destroying embryos. Life begins at conception and it's murder. Put more funding into other types of stem cell research. No human cloning. Leave that up to God or face the consequences.

4. Gay Marriage - Don't destroy the sanctity of marriage by legalizing a sinful lifestyle.

5. Healthcare - Don't give out free healthcare to everyone because most people don't need it. Help those who can't afford it, but don't give it out for free. Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have good plans regarding this, but I will vote for neither.

[in hiding]

4. Gay Marriage - Don't destroy the sanctity of marriage by legalizing a sinful lifestyle.
.

some could argue that heterosexuals have done a decent job at destroying the sanctity of marriage. BTW, i agree with you...we shouldn't legalize gay marriage.

[clemsontigers23]

some could argue that heterosexuals have done a decent job at destroying the sanctity of marriage. BTW, i agree with you...we shouldn't legalize gay marriage.

You could, but legalizing homosexuality would be like putting the nail in the coffin, and pretty soon people will be marrying their dogs or taking multiple wives.

[Jesuslove]

You could, but legalizing homosexuality would be like putting the nail in the coffin, and pretty soon people will be marrying their dogs or taking multiple wives.

LOL.. or divorcing and remarrying. go figure!

[rossid]

Without looking at those listed again let me throw out five.


moral condition of this county - what can the president do but appoint judges to overturn Roe v. Wade - then it becomes a states rights issue; is a marriage amendment possible - hopefully at least my state will approve it - we are this close to becoming the destination spot for same-sex marriage
national security - making sure the war does not move from the middle east to the midwest
spending - budget must be balanced and debt paid down - although economic experts may make a good case against these
immigration - I'm not sure the answer but something must be done
healthcare - disclose the statistics of health care providers - the dollar will follow the leaders and costs will at least not increase at say double the rate of inflation as they have been doing - it is the trend that kills us with too much preventive care and unnecessary high cost procedures on an unhealthy population

[lilmikey]

Immigration-the illeigals flood into our country and feed off of our already crippled system like bats on blood. I could go on and on but at the risk of offending people I'll keep my mouth shut

Abortion-something needs to be done about this murder

Security/war-all I gonna say is is that we need to fight our enemy and not give up or pull out like cowards or at the least pull out and go into the right region

Universal heathcare-NO NO NO this is a step towards socialism and one world government. But I will say that we need to make things easier for the poor.

Gay marriage-people can be gay all they want to(I dont condone it) but please lets not make it legal.

[Trillamum]

My top five?
Abortion We need to end the "river of death" that we've allowed to flow through this nation. In all except for a few extreme cases, killing an unborn child needs to be illegal. I agree, however, that overturning Roe. V. Wade isn't enough. We also need a plan, most likely on the state level, of preventing unwanted pregnancies and encouraging/facilitating adoptions.

Marriage The Government needs to get out of the marriage business. Civil unions should be open and free to any two (or possibly more) people wishing to enter into a legally binding arrangement. This should address the legal and financial status of these individuals, NOT the spiritual and sexual status. This is why I say civil unions instead of marriages. Marriage is the church's territory and should be returned exclusively to that arena.

The War Get us out. Not in a sloppy, problem causing manner, but end it. This has gone on long enough, and we need a plan to get our troops out as soon as possible.

The UN/US Sovereignty I want a president who will withdraw us from the UN. It impinges upon our sovereign rights as a nation, and there is no reason we should cater to this conglomerate of countries. I guess that foreign policy would also fall under here because I think we spend too much time trying to fix the world's problems when we have enough of our own to worry about.

Police State More and more, this nation is turning into a police state. We need a president who will diminish the government, not increase it. Repealing ridiculous laws, abolishing unnecessary Bureaus, and generally making government smaller should be of primary importance.