What is the #1 most important political issue - to YOU

One way to do that is create some expertise in Washington, by making government an honorable career instead of a whored out, sell out to the the largesse of the private sector. We need limits for leaving government only to return to lobby it ( or work as a historian).

 

Currently - campaign finance reform (lobbying etc), this could resolve many issues..

Long term - universal health care (its on the way)..tax reform (some kinda of a flat tax, lower tax for up to 250k, higher tax for 1mil)

 

Election reform / getting money out of politics. Serving your country should be a privilege, not a corporate job.

 

This will never happen. Power and Money always and I mean always go together. You either give the politicians the money while they are in office (through corruption or very high pay) or you give them money when they are out of the office, like in the United States. You will never be able to get money out of the system because the government handles too much money, how to spend that money is the reason for all the money in politics. Even if we reduce the government size by 50%, there will still be tons of money in politics.

 

Economy

 

Wait WTF? So you are suggesting to turn governments' main priority from its constituents to profit? That....sort of misses the entire point of having a government, doesn't it? They are there to govern, not to make revenue.

If I were a US citizen, my biggest concern would be education. Higher education is fine for now, but its very odd how American kids are so confident in their abilities yet aren't the top in those abilities.

 

I'm for it.

 

Putting a bounty on lobbyists, to where every one of them that is killed and skinned is worth like $5,000 bucks.

DD

 

I can understand why that is important but why is it the #1 most important? Do you believe that completely ending or allowing abortion would really make the USA a better place compared to other issues?

 

He didn't say whether he was for it or against it. But, if in your heart and mind you felt that abortion was the murder of defenseless babies, then why wouldn't it be your #1.

 

The role of government is the most important issue for me. It seems like regardless of party affiliation, there is a shared notion that government needs to actively protect us from ourselves, and this idea is so pervasive that we now have a government that spends much more than they generate in taxes on programs that limit our freedom by imposing greater restrictions on the non-violent behaviors of individuals in favor of a false sense of security.

People don't like the effects that certain substances have on the body, so we empower government to tell us what we can and can't ingest into our bodies.

People are afraid of foreigners taking their jobs and changing their culture, so we empower government to establish barriers to trade with our neighbors, restrict who can work, how long people can work, and for what wage people can work.

People are afraid of terrorism, so we empower government to strip us of the protections of the Bill of Rights, and to maintain a constant state of warfare around the world for the benefit of big business and at an enormous cost to the taxpayer.

People fear losing their jobs, so we empower government to monied interests in business under the guise of "creating jobs."

People fear being victimized by crime, so we empower government to violate our civil liberties by turning the judicial system into a business that favors the wealthy and well-connected.

And the government fears the potential for democratic change, so they empower themselves by limiting the election process, and by propping up the two party aristocracy.

All of this because, rather dealing with our own problems, we increase the role of government to deal with whatever boogeyman is scaring the people.

 

THEY TERK-A-DERRRRR!!!

 

So we should let the stock market regulate itself, so it can crash again like in the 1920s. We should let the food industry put what ever they want in our food. We should let drug maker create anything that will sell, if you die from taking the wrong drug, well that's your choice for taking it. We should let manufacturers dump what ever chemical they wish into the ground and river. The list goes on and on. We the people can regulate all these on our own without the government.

 

I'm not saying that people should be able to do harm to each other without repercussions. Your post is a misrepresentation of what I said.

 

Take the money out of politics. It allows special interest groups like coal companies to buy politicians and stifle solar power etc. etc. It corrupts the whole system. It gives us special tax rates for hedge fund managers, profits before health care, subsidies for burning fossil fuels, the military industrial complex, wars for oil etc. It allows a small segment of the population with big money to twist government to its interests and not that of the majority-- and frequently the two groups don't have the same interests.

 

Yes. Abolish the IRS.

 

I believe promoting sustainable economic growth in an increasingly complex and competitive world is our number one challenge.

I think there is a need for investment in technology and education, business incentives, tax reform, and improving the education system which is a mess.

I side with democrats because I think they have a better grasp of the issues than republicans, but not by a wide margin.

My concern with Republicans is their obsession with tax cuts to solve every problem when all it has done is create deficits. Clinton tax rates were fine for this country.

 

Removal of the party system. Parties are America's downfall.

 

The system has worked for centuries, with your PhD in politics, what do you exactly recommend?

 

Abortion is the number one cause of death in America. About a million American babies are killed every year. On average about 600 Americans are killed in Iraq and 300 in Afghanistan each year. About 5,000 were killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks. About 500,000 per year die of cancer. So yes, I think that is more important than raising or lowering taxes a couple percent on any particular group, cheaper health care, legal access to pot, how long a corrupt politician can stay in office, etc. If making abortion illegal stopped 25% of abortions, it would be the most life saving law ever passed.