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

[Scott50]

roughly 1.5 trillion on social programs.. ouch..

[Dennis1971]

Sarah Palin all the way! I would hate to vote for any of the other two guys. Yeah she's the one thats always been proud to be an American!

[banca rotta]

Top 5

1. Across the board cuts in Government spending of 30% to all programs/departments/etc. This is necessary to balance the budget. It is time we stopped overspending, this will mean changes in how benefits and entitlement programs work, ultimately we should seek to eliminate all entitlement programs within 20 years. We simply can't afford them.

2. Recall all US Military forces to US Soil wherever they are. Prior to WWI the US military was practically disbanded at the end of every war. We kept ships in ready in case they were needed but not on active patrol. Cut down to no more than 4 carrier groups. Refuse to deploy the US Military in any UN peacekeeping action. Army and Marine troops would be cut down as well with those remaining in active service supplementing border guards.

3. Withdraw/Renegotiate all the various trade deals of the last 2 administrations. They are heavily unfavorable to the United States and heavily favorable to the trading partners.

4. Become Energy Independent within 10 years. Do this by removing unconstitutional laws that limit energy production.

5. Reduce the National Debt with the goal of having it paid off in 10 years with a reduction in taxes as part of the deal.

I agree with 1,3,4,5 and half of 2.(guard the borders). I would increase defense spending while cutting all others especially corporate welfare, bailouts, etc. I would also pay for it out of foreign aid. I'm writing this while watching 911 clips on the history channel. I'm pretty emotional right now as some of you are too. Keeping the rats out of my country at the border is a nice start but hunting them in there lands and killing them is the way to go. Never forget this day.

[TEW]

Top 5

1. Across the board cuts in Government spending of 30% to all programs/departments/etc. This is necessary to balance the budget. It is time we stopped overspending, this will mean changes in how benefits and entitlement programs work, ultimately we should seek to eliminate all entitlement programs within 20 years. We simply can't afford them.

2. Recall all US Military forces to US Soil wherever they are. Prior to WWI the US military was practically disbanded at the end of every war. We kept ships in ready in case they were needed but not on active patrol. Cut down to no more than 4 carrier groups. Refuse to deploy the US Military in any UN peacekeeping action. Army and Marine troops would be cut down as well with those remaining in active service supplementing border guards.

3. Withdraw/Renegotiate all the various trade deals of the last 2 administrations. They are heavily unfavorable to the United States and heavily favorable to the trading partners.

4. Become Energy Independent within 10 years. Do this by removing unconstitutional laws that limit energy production.

5. Reduce the National Debt with the goal of having it paid off in 10 years with a reduction in taxes as part of the deal.

[JRScott]

I agree with 1,3,4,5 and half of 2.(guard the borders). I would increase defense spending while cutting all others especially corporate welfare, bailouts, etc. I would also pay for it out of foreign aid. I'm writing this while watching 911 clips on the history channel. I'm pretty emotional right now as some of you are too. Keeping the rats out of my country at the border is a nice start but hunting them in there lands and killing them is the way to go. Never forget this day.

With no international deployments of US Forces we simply could do more with less and would not need as many as we have now. Keep in mind that we cannot maintain the current military in 10 years without instituting the draft, we simply aren't getting enough volunteers.

[JRScott]

The government signs contracts with suppliers who continually overcharge the government. In many cases friends in the military and civilian aspects of the government have expressed problems where they could go to the local Wal Mart or Home Depot and purchase the needed parts/equipment cheaper than the government supplier.

Redistribution of wealth is not a constitutional right. There is no need for such high taxes, what we need is less government.

The government cannot provide you with everything without taking everything from you.

You are right folks don't want to make the cuts to their programs, but they are needed, we can't afford it. We are selling the future generations of Americans down the river. That's the difference between statesmen and politicians.

Statesmen do what is necessary regardless of whether they are popular or not. Politicians check the wind and go whichever way it blows regardless of the long term damage it does.

We are looking at total economic collapse of the United States sometime between 2020 and 2040. We simply cannot afford the various programs and promises the government has made, even if we raised taxes to 100% GDP. God help us if they pass National Health Care that will just decrease the time to government insolvency.

By starting to scale back now we can hopefully avert that situation. But only if we reign in spending, pay down the national debt, and return to the States the rightful power that is theirs.

The Founding Fathers were extremely wise men, they were statesmen not politicians. They realized that for many things it was not possible to shoehorn a one plan fits all solution. So they enumerated only certain very basic rights to the Federal Government and reserved all other power to the States. In the last 100 years of partisan bickering, populism politics, and grandstanding by R and D we have lost the way, we have tried to do that which was neither prudent nor productive and it is time to turn the clock back and go with that which was intended initially.

[HRx]

Please continue this discussion in our "Stickied" Political Discussion thread. http://www.bkforum.com/showthread.php?t=10527&page=14