What top three issues influence who you vote for? What are your views on the 3 issues?

Mine are the war on terror, guns and illegal immigration.

I have only one. Illegal immigration. There is nothing that it does not affect. No ill that it does not make worse.

The Iraq War. The others have been round forever, but Iraq and the "War on Terror" aka "Elect Bush or Die" is totally new and the most pressing issue, since it has endangered the country and our armed forces.

Gay rights is another thing I'd see as a big issue since that's coming to prominance as of late, but just like abortion, it's an issue used to get out the religious vote and is never "solved" so they keep voting every election. But just like the rights of black couples and couples of mixed race, I think that it will come no matter what happens.

Education, Environment, Healthcare.

Basically, the health of our country, the health of our environment, and our ability to keep it healthy.

Illegal Immegration, Healthcare, War in Iraq.

Education - I'm a strong proponent of "no child left behind."

Environment - If we continue to destroy our environment and rape our natural resources, at the rate we're going all else will not matter.

Taxes/Economy - As a taxpayer and businessman these are of the utmost concern to me. I'm at a point in my life where securing my financial future is becoming increasingly more difficult.



Hoosier.

I think our education system is really floundering with attempts to keep our students up to snuff when compared with students from other industrialized countries.

Education because we need to prepare the children for the future issues that will be left behind.

The environment because it will take 30 years for us to see any difference in the environment. If this issue doesn't get corrected sooner or later, we won't be able to have anyother issues if you know what I mean.

I also say the "War" because the huge amount of money it's taking to keep going. Money that could be going towards supporting education and environmental reseach/development.

The proper crafting and care of public infrastructure. Roads, education, police and fire services, etc: they may not be the controversial things we focus on, but how they are managed is of vital importance. That a bridge in Minneapolis recently collapsed serves to accentuate my point.

Our biggest problem right now is our federal government. It is way too powerful. We send way too much of our money to Washington, where it is hacked to pieces, and then we have to live up to all kinds of bureaucratic bull**** to get what's left of our money back to pay for our schools, or our highways. Bureaucracy is swallowing our productivity and stifling our ability to creatively solve problems locally.

The Constitution specifically says that only Congress can declare war, and that requires a 2/3 majority. What do you suppose that's worth, if nobody declares war and the President can do seemingly whatever he wants? Is there anyone here who thinks we've stayed true to the spirit of the document in this regard? We're back to being serfs, killing and dying for things we don't understand. It's wrong.

All of the issues mentioned are huge. But they're symptoms. Our federal government has run amok. Municipalities and states have had their authority and capability to solve problems whittled down to nothing at this point. Our Founding Fathers are screaming at us from their seats beyond the 4th Wall, yelling at us to turn around, look out: the monster is right behind us. But we keep handing more and more of our liberties over and accepting less and less responsibility for our own lives, as if there is no price to be paid for such unwise behavior. But history is unambiguous: leaders are often corrupt, weak people, and giving them too much power will allow them to express their corrupt, weak souls in ways that will hurt or even kill a lot of people.

Ron Paul is not a nutcase. Fascinating that among the Republican Party, a man who wants to actually make the government smaller is called a nutcase, isn't it? It's high time. I do not fear Ron Paul. I fear continuing to accept the un-American lie that we plebians should sit down and shut up, and leave government to our betters, who will look after us. Many of America's greatest historical leaders would disagree with this notion that a politician has to have some pedigree, some aristocratic background, in order to be capable and effective. What is most sickening and disheartening is that, over time, Washington has become so polluted with insiders and back-room dealers that the upright honest people don't stand a chance in hell of getting anything done, because they are blacklisted and ostricized by the slugs whose self-interest requires them to drive out anyone who doesn't understand that one hand washes the other.

Vote for anyone but the incumbent. Vote for Ron Paul. Iraq will end, no more problem. Our schools will be back in the hands of the communities. Our tax dollars will be back in our pockets, and we can spend them on more capable teachers and administrators. We won't have to squabble over our own money when it comes time to get it back from the feds to work on our roads and bridges. And we won't live not knowing whether tomorrow our President is going to launch a few cruise missiles and send a brigade into Iran and ruin our lives for the next 25 years.