Education = Mr. Romney, President Obama initiated "Race to the Top," an educational program that aims to reward schools for higher achievement. What is your opinion on "Race to the Top," and, if elected, what would you specifically implement to increase academic achievement nationally.

The word superpower has been used often to describe nations, including our own. At this point in time what do you consider a superpower country to be and what should define this designation.

A question for Mr. Obama. How do you explain the 923 executive orders you have signed since being sworn in as president especially the one authorizing paying for the death of unborn babies with federal tax dollars?

Why do you think that we spend the amount of our budget we do on defense based on war while there is so much hunger and illiteracy in the world. Wouldn't part of a defense budget include feeding and educating the people suffering? Don't you think full stomachs and bright minds win more friends than bombs and guns?

My question is to Governor Romney. When you were being vetted as a vice presidential candidate in 2008 how many years of tax returns did you provide to the McCain campaign. Doesn't the electorate in the 2012 election deserve to evaluate the same information?

Gentlemen, I like to think that we citizens are hiring a person to run our country for four years. If you were asked to draft a model job description for future presidential candidates, what would your model job description say as to qualifications or skills needed for this position. Be succinct. Charles Leach, Nashville, TN

Do President Obama and Governor Romney believe earth’s climate is warming as a result of human activities, and does a warming climate present a threat to our collective well being? If they believe this threat is real, what policies would their respective administrations put in place to reduce the warming of the earth’s climate?

would either of you back a move for term lemits??????

Mr Romney how would Massachusetts be able to continue covering all of its residents if you enact the cuts you propose? Would you sign the waiver that both bush and president Obama signed to allow Massachusetts the continued funding for the insurance coverage?

To both: It appears that the war on terror can never be truly won. There is no one leader to dethrone, no military army to surrender. There are many groups, many factions that come from the shadows to step up when we defeat the current leaders. How can America defend itself from the extremists hoping to destroy America and its Allies for years to come? From Leonard Earl

I have read that the average politician spends 40% of their time, raising money to be re-elected.

Shouldn't running our country be considered a full time job?

How do you feel about the way we finance our elections in this country?
Who do our "representatives" REALLY work for, their constituents, or their campaign donors?

Robert Aiken
Mr. Obama Why have we not seen any prosecutions of the major players in the failure of our financial system. I realize the wheels of justice can turn slowly, however I and millions of other Americans will have no faith in our government until we are convinced that corruption will no longer be rewarded

for romney, is there anywhere on public lands in the western us that should be off limits to oil and gas exploration?

I would like to vote for a President of the United States, not for a leader of a party.
If elected, provide an example of how your decisions would place the country's best interest before your perspective party.

Gov. Romney: Are you considering reducing our nation's interest payments, by reducing our national debt by nullifying some or all of that debt held by foreign nations or foreign nationals? What mechanisms are you considering using to nullify that debt?

To both candidates, if you had to be one or the other, which one would you be, would you rather be popular, or would you rather be right?

Mr. Romney, please explain how you & Mr. Ryan will reduce Taxes and decrease the Deficit at the same time and please take as much time as you want to name all the loop holes and deductions you will close.

Why was Ambassador Stevens separated from his security detail, when there were threats against his life?

oil & gas prices

Mr Romney, You have a strong opinion on foriegn affairs and how America and its milatary should play a lead role. What experience do you or your family have in the military? Have any of your sons served in the milatary?

Mr. Obama, could you explain why Michelle Obama's verdict from the Illinois Bar Association is sealed?

Mr.President, during your last campaign you mentioned that One to the top priority is to reform the Immigration. We all had hope when you had full house and Senate for first two years. Disappointed to see that not even once the immigration bill was passed. If you get reelected how you are planning to handle the immigration reform?
Mr.Romney, what is your plan for the immigration reform? Specifically to the Legal immigration process which is having a huge backlog.

You both favor Corp/LLC tax rate (not effective tax rates( cuts. Facts are Corp/LLC USA is setting on combined $12 TRILLION Cash Profits, $6T onshore and about $6T offshore, Why the tax cuts and is it true USA private/business EFFECTIVE (REAL) tax rates, not to be confused with "tax rates" you both reference, already one of lowest in industrial nations?

To Both: For your third debate, which is on Foreign Policy, how about a real test? Would you both agree to answer one question each from the Prime Minister of Australia and the Taioseach (the political leader) of Ireland? Both are allies, Australia can be counted on to ask a pertinent Asian-sphere question, and Ireland as both a friend and a member of the European Union can be counted on to ask a pertinent yet tactful European-sphere question.

For both: With all the focus on immigration for Hispanics why is no one talking about denying visas to come to the United States for anyone now living in an middle eastern country or of middle eastern decent without extreme background vetting. If individuals who always seems to emanate from those areas are the ones bent on the destruction of the United States why would we let them be here? Does no one remember we allowed the 9/11 individuals to enter our country easily and even trained them to do what they did. Yet we chase people of Hispanic decent all over the wilds of Arizona, Texas and California in a attempt to keep those individuals away.

Governor Romney stated in the debate that Obamacare should not be run by the federal government but by the states. If so, does the Governor believe that Medicare would be better run by the states? How would that change Medicare?

When Obama issues so many executive orders isn't he starting to act and think like a dictator who doesn't need the house and senate anymore ??? This seems to be the
path of ruin some communist /socialist countries have taken and is this the future that
WE the PEOPLE of America want ?????

Just how do either one of you plan to grow those export industries that pay high wages world wide and have a big pay roll? I am not talking about any low wage firm ones with a small work force. Real wages have declined for decades and we do not esport enough to pay for the amount inports we let in.

To Gov. Romney: President Obama reads ten letters each night from "ordinary citizens". How do you keep in touch with "ordinary citizens"?

Just how are either one of you planing to raise percentage of born Americans with advanced degrees. After all that what will make the work force worth more on the world market.

To both: Successfully using fusion power would generate electricity completely cleanly, with no payments to foreign countries, and with no real limitations on supply -- and it could be used for hybrid automobiles and instead of heating oil. What do you intend to do to get fusion power working?

To both candidates: Money was created to facilitate the exchange of goods and services, ultimately improving human life. Today, the businesses of money (banks, insurance companies, stock and bond markets, investment companies, hedge funds, etc.) destroy people's lives, by valuing profits above all else.

Do you have the wisdom and courage to stand up to the leaders of the financial services sector, to remove it from its position of compassionless dominance and place it in its useful role as the lubricant of commerce (rather than its fuel)? If you do, what actions will you take? If you don't , why even bother continuing your candidacy?

This is not a Democrat or Republican policy question. This is a personal leadership inquiry. The average lifespan of a republic/democracy is roughly 200 years. The United States of America has successfully surpassed that medium and hopefully will continue to contribute in raising that standard. As a rule of thumb, the willful, greedy and self-serving mismanagement of the public treasury by the elected representatives of its people bankrupts the republic. Such a republic is almost always replaced by a dictatorship. In a few weeks, one of you two accomplished individuals will be sworn into office as the leader of the free world for the next four years. In the event a ‘financial hitler’ calls in some markers a few months down the road, undermining everyone’s current hopes and expectations, how would you be inclined to address America’s interests while maintaining national security? And, if our destiny is for one of you two to become our future dictator, what can we, the 99%, expect to look forward to in our scary upside-down world?

Frank Miles, Savannah Ga.
If wealth trickles down, then from whom did the wealth of the rich ( billionaires & millionaires) trickle down from? Is It not more accurate that wealth trickles up? And if wealth trickles up, is it not in the interest of the rich to pay higher taxes in order for the middle class to pay lower taxes which gives the middle class more disposable income? Is not the amount of disposable income after all taxes that is available to the middle class the key to a successful and vibrant economy?

Beth Rittenhouse
To both: As a single parent of an autistic child for 18 years, (with no support from the child's father), my concerns have always been with feeding my small family and keeping a roof over our heads. What category do I fall under working and bringing in only $25,000. per year? I haven't heard any future plans that would help someone like myself from either party. The $40.00 per week that I received in my paycheck from EIC is gone and so was $40.00 worth of food for my table. How will ANY of your "programs and budgets" help someone like myself.
Signed; the "forgotten class".

Note: I'm in Philadelphia, PA. By the way -- good ones, Marc, Mac and Frank.

Much has been said about helping small business. A current lament is that we have become a country of the corporation, by the corporation, and for the corporation. How do each of you define small business? Specifics and examples, please. When does a small business become a corporation?

Romney mentioned 5 banks designated "too big to fail". What does that mean? He seemed to imply that they would get bailed out in the event of a failure. Is that true?

Want Romney To Explain IN DETAIL what his Revenue Neutral expression means as it pertains to his 5 Trillion dollar tax cut. Does it mean that he needs SLASH domestic federal programs like VA Benefits, Nursing Home payment, Medicare, Education & the Environmental Protection funding by 30% in order to give his Revenue Neutral tax cut ???

DO YOU THINK ITS A GOOD IDEA TO LEGALIZE ALL DRUGS...REGULATE THE SALE AND GROWING ..TAX THE GROWERS TAX THE MANUFACTURERS,,TAX THE RETAILERS AND CONSUMERS...ALSO WOULD IT ALSO BE A GOOD IDEA TO LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION NATIONWIDE AND REGULATE AND TAX IT..I SEE THIS ALL AS A WIN WIN SITUATION...GREAT OPPRITUNITY FOR ENDING OUR DEFICIT, PUTTING AN END TO THE CARTELS ITS A WIN WIN SITUATION

Appears to be close even with recent debate.
What has bothered me for many years is what lush healthcare and benefits
the entire Senate and Congress receive ... there must be term limits
for both areas with strict "Performance Review" at end of each year ...
any such results if determined as incompetent voting or no show or just
plain zippiddy do da conduct ... a probation period should follow ...
then dismissal ... currently from what has been shown, nothing has been
moving ... even with a GOP Congress movement and then a Democratic
controlled Senate a Veto has stopped any progress ...
the OBAMCARE THOUSANDS OF PAGES WAS A DISGRACE TO OUR
FORM OF GOVERNMENT ... ENOUGH TO REMOVE THOSE SUCH AS
PELOSI REID AND BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA ...

Question # 1
How can you justify the massive use of Air Force 1 for personal ventures,
and family use birthday party junkets?
Question #2
Your use of our paid security forces, public paid air fares for PURE POLITICAL
CAMPAIGN TRIPS ... while an entire nation had expect more from you as
an elected official ...
Question #3 How can you stand there and continue to disgrace the office
by attacking an opponent with YOUR LIES AND THE LIES PERPETRATED
BY YOUR CORRUPT WHITE HOUSE GANG?

Mr. Obama
If you are all about family
Why don't you talk about the other side of your family
Because a little to White

It seems as though everyone expects the USA to be the policeman of the world.

Do you agree with this? Why or why not?

Neither countries nor people can buy friends.

Would you consider cutting back foreign aid, not necessarily on a case-by-case basis, but maybe some significant across the board percentage?

THE LOGO ABOVE LOOKS LIKE
THE DEM. DONKEY LOGO IS KISSING
THE GOP ELEPHANT LOGO ...
IS THAT WHAT'S GOING ON
IN OCEAN COUNTY??

S.G. Based upon recent campaign reports
the Obama Campaign funds are now huge
over $140,000,000.00 that not buying an
election ... sort of lives up to the Chicago
system of elections ... and Franklin Roosevelt's
making Columbus Day a National Holiday ...
pandering the Italian votes ...

What is the % of people out of work and can no lnger collect unemployment,why don't they count? Your numbers don't add up. There are more people out of work then just the ones listed on the unemployment roles.

How are we ever going to believe our government statistics ...
many believe the employment records do not take into account
the many who have literally left the task of looking for a job ...
therefore are not counted in the results ...
AS NOT WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY ... BUT
WHAT CAN "YOU DO" FOR YOUR COUNTRY ...
OBAMA's record is dismal and his party is on the attack
mode ... OBAMA LOOKED LIKE THE EMPTY CHAIR
DIRTY HARRY SPOKE OF ...
WE NEED CHANGE BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA ...
GETTING YOU OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE ...
SOUNDS RACIST DOESN'T ...
NO JUST PURE JUSTICE ... HE STATED IF HE
DID NOT DO THE JOB ... HE EXPECTED A SINGLE
TERM ... THEN HE THOUGHT OF THE PLANES,
HELICOPTER FLIGHTS, THE GOLF OUTINGS WITH
IS CELEBRITIES ... THE SPENDING LIST IS HUGE ...
FRANKLY I THINK HE PERSONALLY COST US BIG
FOR AN EMPTY CHAIR PRESIDENT ... POOR GUY?

Surely many citizens watch Barack Hussein Obama get
sworn in after being elected ... does he or anyone recall
his sworn testimony to uphold the laws of the Constitution ...
SO HELP ME GOD ... which God???
He shall pay for his lies and absenteeism ...
Vote for the other guy he appears to be qualified as compared
to Barack Hussein Obama ... poor guy all he had inherited
from Bush plus the Presidency ... all inherited ...
poor guy ... must build his library now and golf with his days
off aplenty ... poor guy?

A question to both candidates: The Federal Reserve is a government-created, yet relatively autonomous central bank that apparently can do whatever it wants with the money supply. Its Chairman, Ben Bernanke, is almost completely responsible for the weakening of the value of our currency thanks to his outrageous monetary policy, or more specifically, his "quantitative easing" schemes. Why do you both support the actions of Bernanke and the continued existence of the Fed, and believe that it does not need to have an outside audit done, let alone be abolished completely?

Questions to both candidates...

Gov. Romney: When drafting the health care legislation in Massachusetts, did you consult with industry professionals, or just insurance executives who were looking out for their own best interests by pushing a law that mandates every citizen of the Commonwealth enter into a business contract with them?

Mr. President: When choosing to base the national health care reform largely on the model implemented in Massachusetts, did you make a note of what happened in the aftermath of the aforementioned law's signing: substantially more expensive insurance premiums, longer waits for care, and many doctors leaving the state? If you did, what makes you think that the same will not happen under the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act which you signed into law?

For both candidates: Yes or No, would you consider supporting a Federal Income Tax that was a flat tax on all income (no deductions except for charitable contributions) above the local poverty level?

For both candidates: If the upward-mobility of the Middle Class is the driving force behind the teamwork as well as the wellspring of the innovative ideas that have always been America's strengths, what incentives would you like to employ to restore that upward mobility?

What makes people think a FIRST-TERM senator who spent most of that FIRST-TERM running for another office is qualified to oversee the world's largest economy?

Before that Obama was a FIRST-TERM state senator who spent most of that FIRST-TERM running for another office.

Romney ran a successful company, as "Chief Executive" he turned around a failing Olympics, and he ran a state as "Chief Executive". Obama never even ran a corner lemonade stand and that's a Fact Jack!

Since Obama is now the "Chief Executive" of the US, I'd ask him to describe his executive experience running something before 2008.

To both candidates: The U.S. reportedly has something like 8,000 nuclear warheads. In the event that either Turkey or Western Europe are attacked, what is the proper use of those warheads?

How can the US stem the costs of illegal immigration without drastic legislation? What ideas do you and your team have to tackle this problem? How epidemic are the numbers for illegals living in this country from the updated 2010 census? Also what would you do to stop the trade of "useless junk" from China? We have tremendous debt with them and we have plastic cupie dolls in our junk drawers! There are unemployed housewives in the US, trying to stay home and keep tabs on their kids who can make quality crafts instead of the crap that we import from China. We have no sense of artistry or craftsmanship here. What would you do to restore that?

To both candidates, will you limit military tours of duty (regarding combat) to no more than two with just one being mandatory? Also, will you limit the tours of duty to no longer than six months so that the number of PTSD cases, casualties and fatalities drastically decrease? Finally, will you call for military consciption (aka the draft) and make it like Israel's model?

Rick I drive a Chevy - thanks so much for checking and I haven't bought a cheap holiday decoration in 10 years, stopped buying Uggs, LL Bean shoes too and clothes at Kohl' s made in the other countries you mentioned as well. Every little bit helps.

FOR TTHE RECORD IT IS PRESIDENT OBAMA NOT MR. IT IS MR ROMNEY NOT GOV. WHY HAVE WE NOT HEARD ABOUT ROMNEYS OFF SHORE BANK ACCOUNTS WE KNOW HE DOES NOT PAY TAXES TO SWITZERLAND THE
CAYMON ISLANDS OR BAHAMAS.WHO KNOWS WHERE ELSE HE HAS ACCOUNTS SET UP.PAYS NO TAXES I THOUGHT IT WAS ILLEGAL TO HIDE MONEY IN OTHER COUNTRIES AND NOT PAY TAXES ON IT..
..TIME TO GET ANSWERS ?.RICH MAN GETTING RICHER TO HELL WITH WORKING CLASS HE PAYS 14% to IRS ALL WORKING CLASS ARE PAYING
24-28% to IRS WHY WOULD WE ELECT A MAN WHO BBREAKS THE RULES
IN HIS OUR COUNTRY FOR HIS OWN GOOD . HE DOES NOT HAVE TO LIVE ON FIXED INCOME OR WORRY ABOUT SOCIAL SEC.OR MEDICARE WHY CARE ABOUT US. THE ANSWER IS HE DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE MIDDLE CLASS OR THE POOR. HE HAS NEVER BEEN THERE. P.J

PRES.OBAMA MAY HAVE MILLIONS ID O NOT KNOW THAT HOWEVER HE DOES PAY HIS TAXES UNLIKE FORMER GOV. ROMNEY WITH HIS OFF SHORE ACCOUNTS WHO ONLY PAYS TAXES ON MONEY HAS HAS IN U. S.
ALSO PRES OBAMA WAS VETTED TO RUN FOR PRES. HE MUST OF PASSED
THAT TEST OR HE WOULD NOT OF BEEN ALLOWED TO RUN IN THE FIRST PLACE. PJ

re: Pat Jones comment.
I believe that the current President Barack Hussein Obama, is by far the most
incompetent President we have seen in OUR White House.
The facts are all there ... he has been in office for nearly 4-years to perform
as his supporters and non supporters would have expected.
In the Private Sector, anyone with such a record such as this BHO ...
would not be in a position to do any further damage.
Yeah we all heard IT'S BUSH'S FAULT.
Barrack Hussein Obama had both houses, all the elected officials to
provide him the votes to pass many of his draconian rules ...
does anyone recognize our country???
Vote for the person who can with EXPERIENCE to correct the mess
brought to us by a Democratic Party that only their most staunch
supporters do not know their party ...
Heard BHO while in LA was making appointments after the election,
should things not go his way ...
Performance and a track record is the firm qualifications required in
OUR UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ... GO MILITARY !!! ...

Where do both candidates stand on the discovery of the ratification of Article the First (the "Apportionment" Amendment) and, as important - ON THE "CHANGE THE RULES" pledge?

changetherulespledge.org - another effort by the Democratic-Republicans on your behalf.