What For You is the Single Biggest Political Issue of the 2016 Election?

[Sunstone]

What for you is the single biggest political issue of the 2016 election? Why?




For me, the biggest issue is the increasing concentration of income, wealth and political power in the hands of fewer and fewer people. Because of that, America is now a near oligarchy, and if the trend is not reversed, America will at some point change from an oligarchy into a dictatorship. That has been the pattern through-out history. There is no reason to suppose we will escape it if we do not act to reverse the trend.

 

[Laika]

What for you is the single biggest political issue of the 2016 election? Why?

As a Brit, I think the most important issue in 2016 US election is building a massive wall and closing the US-Mexican Border...

Spoiler

And closing the US-Canadian Border... with large fleets of ships to make patrol the coastline... and closing all US Airports with patrols to enforce a no flyzone accross the US....

Because if Mexico and Canada can't contain the US population, I'm not sure how the rest of the world is going to cope with your maddness.

 

[Sultan Of Swing]

Foreign policy most important to me. If America gets tangled in another intervention you guys like to drag Britain in with you (though I blame our leaders here a lot more than yours, they're not forced to do anything). So a Trump or Bernie win will be a good step for world peace. I think it would be top banter if Trump gets the Nobel peace prize one day, and he'd deserve it more than intervention-loving Obama did.

 

[SpeaksForTheTrees]

What for you is the single biggest political issue of the 2016 election? Why?




For me, the biggest issue is the increasing concentration of income, wealth and political power in the hands of fewer and fewer people. Because of that, America is now a near oligarchy, and if the trend is not reversed, America will at some point change from an oligarchy into a dictatorship. That has been the pattern through-out history. There is no reason to suppose we will escape it if we do not act to reverse the trend.

In the spirit of indeed , wealth distribution ? Where's the fun in that ? A president that brings war is much more fun ?

 

[BSM1]

Foreign policy most important to me. If America gets tangled in another intervention you guys like to drag Britain in with you (though I blame our leaders here a lot more than yours, they're not forced to do anything). So a Trump or Bernie win will be a good step for world peace. I think it would be top banter if Trump gets the Nobel peace prize one day, and he'd deserve it more than intervention-loving Obama did.

Not that I disagree with but Britain is a big girl capable of making her own decisions.

 

[Midnight Rain]

There are some seriously important issues and I don't know which is more important. Its hard even to decide one between the two main categories of domestic internal issues and external foreign adventuresm since they are both so differnet.

I think that as far as domestic internal issues go I think that getting our healthcare squared away might be the number 1 issue for me. A very very very very very very very close 2nd and 3rd is income inequality and cost of tuition.

But equally as important is the need to get the frick frack out of other countries and for the love of god stop bombing weddings.

 

[Revoltingest]

I don't see a single issue as being most important.
But the candidates each offer different risks & advantages.
Looking at Don, Hil, & Bern, the risk which stands out for me is war & foreign adventurism,
which have devastated our economy, & greatly harmed other countries with lasting effect.
Bern has a history of less foreign adventurism.
Trump advertises the same but without a record from which to judge.
Hillary is a known quantity for advocating war.

War is no less important than many other things, eg, USSC appointments.
But the candidates de jour bring it to the fore.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

The biggest issue for me is the Supreme Court. There's been so many bad decisions made by this Republican majority court, and unless Democrats gain the majority, I can't see it getting better. Especially since today's GOP is increasingly radical.

 

[metis]

I think that the disparity of wealth issue is number one because it is potentially the most destabilizing trend. Most empires fell from within, and I agreed completely with the notable anthropologist Desmond Morris who said back around 1970 that, if Americans don't curb our internal competition with each other, as resources decline we will just tear ourselves apart-- and ain't we seeing this already happening?

 

[esmith]

The major issue that I see that directly could affect me is Foreign Policy/Security. I do not want to see a President that gets us embroiled in a major conflict/war. However, on the other hand I don't want a President who afraid to take a stance when we or our allies are threatened. I want a President who can acknowledge that global terrorism is the major threat facing the world today and is willing to commit to addressing it with a hammer vice thinking that diplomacy or economic solutions is the answer.
The second issue is the economy. I'm tired of listing to those who think if only we had income equality everything work out. When one is not willing to accept a challenge to achieve a goal then one has basically given up. The only problem with this is the continuing loss of employment possibilities to find a challenge. This country has to do something to entice companies to keep jobs here vice relocating to another country. I am no economist but I see the problem as taxes and wages. Taxes can be addressed if Congress and the President has the will to do so. However, wages are totally reliant on a workers willingness to work at a wage that reflects the value of the job or the consumer willing to pay more for items to support the wage; flipping hamburgers is not a $15 an hour job no matter how you look at it. If one can not put forth the effort to obtain a job related education then they have no right to demand wages to support a lifestyle that someone that puts forth that effort does have. There are jobs out there now that are begging for workers with certain blue-collar skills but it seems that either many do not have the motivation or desire to obtain these skills. This seems to be a direct reflection on the attitude facing the country now. This can not be addressed by government it has to be addressed by the family.

There are other issues that I see troubling but the above are the two major ones.

 

[metis]

The second issue is the economy. I'm tired of listing to those who think if only we had income equality everything work out. .

And just let me ask, whom has supposedly said that? There's a vast area of difference between "income disparity" versus "income equality".

Also, why do you see $15 per hour to be so absurd? We're talking a few pennies more for a Big Mac, and yet that would have the effect of very much helping out low-income families that make your Big Mac. Either way, your gonna pay because so many of them on such low wages then have to rely more on government subsides, and who do you think pay for those subsidies?

Also, raise the minimum wage, and this has the effect of leaving those who tend to spend a higher proportion of their income with more disposable income, who then spend more, thus more stimulating local economies especially. Economics 101.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

As usual, whoever does the least amount which impacts me, the better.

 

[Quintessence]

My number one issue is (and always has been) the non-human world (aka, environmental issues). It's why I can never vote Republican, because their track record on conservation, natural resource management, and serving the non-human world quite frankly sucks.

 

[esmith]

And just let me ask, whom has supposedly said that? There's a vast area of difference between "income disparity" versus "income equality".

Also, why do you see $15 per hour to be so absurd? We're talking a few pennies more for a Big Mac, and yet that would have the effect of very much helping out low-income families that make your Big Mac. Either way, your gonna pay because so many of them on such low wages then have to rely more on government subsides, and who do you think pay for those subsidies?

Also, raise the minimum wage, and this has the effect of leaving those who tend to spend a higher proportion of their income with more disposable income, who then spend more, thus more stimulating local economies especially. Economics 101.

If the cost of living in an area mandates $15 for hamburger flippers fine, say like San Francisco or New York fine, but if your living in Podunk _______ then it is too much. Let the local economy determine the wage not the &^%^$#$ federal government.

 

[Mindmaster]

Free Ponies.

It's that simple.

 

[esmith]

Adding to my previous reply #14
What you fail to realize that it just isn't the few extra pennies for a BicMac(which you shouldn't be eating all the time anyway) it's the total increase of wages across the board.
Example: Say current wages for job X is$8 an hour(minimum wage) current wages job Y is $30 a hour. Job X is mandated $15 a hour, an increase of 87.5%. Does it not follow that the person in job Y would want a substantial raise? They had to get some additional education and worked at lower wages to start, they sacrificed to get where they are now and have the drive to continue to improve. Do they not deserve a raise?
Second I have very little sympathy for someone who decided that they wanted to raise a family on minimum wages with little or no possibility of improving themselves. When one makes a decision that will affect them for the rest of their lives they better stop and think before they leap. I am not my brothers keeper, I will assist them if I can but I'm not going to support them for the bad decisions they make. If they were subject to something beyond their control, yes I think they should be assisted until they can get their lives back on track. But I'm not going to support them if they did not have the ambition to start with. Rice, beans, oatmeal, and vegetables is adequate to live on and more healthy. The public library is excellent for entertainment and one just might learn something. Suck it up.....the world doesn't owe you.

 

[Midnight Rain]

If the cost of living in an area mandates $15 for hamburger flippers fine, say like San Francisco or New York fine, but if your living in Podunk _______ then it is too much. Let the local economy determine the wage not the &^%^$#$ federal government.

Adding to my previous reply #14
What you fail to realize that it just isn't the few extra pennies for a BicMac(which you shouldn't be eating all the time anyway) it's the total increase of wages across the board.
Example: Say current wages for job X is$8 an hour(minimum wage) current wages job Y is $30 a hour. Job X is mandated $15 a hour, an increase of 87.5%. Does it not follow that the person in job Y would want a substantial raise? They had to get some additional education and worked at lower wages to start, they sacrificed to get where they are now and have the drive to continue to improve. Do they not deserve a raise?
Second I have very little sympathy for someone who decided that they wanted to raise a family on minimum wages with little or no possibility of improving themselves. When one makes a decision that will affect them for the rest of their lives they better stop and think before they leap. I am not my brothers keeper, I will assist them if I can but I'm not going to support them for the bad decisions they make. If they were subject to something beyond their control, yes I think they should be assisted until they can get their lives back on track. But I'm not going to support them if they did not have the ambition to start with. Rice, beans, oatmeal, and vegetables is adequate to live on and more healthy. The public library is excellent for entertainment and one just might learn something. Suck it up.....the world doesn't owe you.

The federal government is the only way to ensure that people of the whole nation make a livable wage. 15 an hour isn't outrageous even in the boonies.

The best way to explain why we need a higher minimum wage is by talking about a very simple economic concept used by pretty much every business ever. Its called price elasticity. Its a simple enough to calculate (harder to find the base numbers to use in the calculation however) that shows us how to get the maximum profit for the cost of an item. You could sell an item for 100 dollars and make a 90 dollar profit off each one. However you might only sell 5 total. If you sell them for 15 dollars you make a 5 dollar profit but sell 100. So you end up with a profit of 450 vs a profit of 500. Somewhere in between there is a better number. Perhaps at 20 dollars you still sell 100 but double your profit range to 1000. Perhaps at 25 you only sell 90 but end up with 1250 in profit.

Why does this matter in the minimum wage issue? Because people across the board are selling their labor to businesses (Just like any other product or service) for pennies on the dollar. Their wages should be much higher across the board (not just minimum wage) but they lack the ability to change that. Because in our current economy the workers have very very very very little power vs the companies who have far too much power. You either work for cheap or don't get to work at all.

I will agree that people don't need to live on minimum wage all the time. People need to have some ambition. But if you work 40 hours a week you should be able to support yourself to a basic level. We may disagree on what that basic level is. I think you have an idea that people living in these conditions are constantly making poor life choices or eating far more expensive than they should. This isn't true. Most people are buying the cheapest they can from the cheapest store. Burgers at mcdonalds can feed a family of 4 for about 10 bucks. Little Ceasers makes a full pizza to feed 4 for five dollars.

Its not a matter of attempting to live above your level and wining that you don't have enough. It really actually is needing more to get by. I think the minimum wage should be 20 dollars in some places. perhaps 12 in others. But a flat 15 for the whole country isn't an economy breaking thing. What is more important to me however is the domino effect it has on the rest of the economy. People making 10 an hour are suddenly at least making 15 an hour and people making 15 an hour will probably be making more than 15 an hour. The higher up on the pay scale you go the less it effects you but it will effect those making less than 20 dollars an hour for sure.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

chauvinism

 

[Shadow Wolf]

It's too hard to decide on just one.
Cementing same-sex marriage is definitely important, and tied to this election, and perhaps even under Obama, is the hope that "RFRA" bills will be struck down and public discrimination, for whatever reason, will not be allowed. This presidential election may potentially decide if we get a "deeper" left court or go back to a "slightly" right court (the side that said it's of no concern to them if American citizens are denied the basic right of marriage). Tied to this, the Supreme Court, is Citizens United and campaign financing laws.
Foreign policy is another one. This is a very tricky issue. On one hand, we need to stay out because when we get involved things get worse. On the other hand, we had DAESH, a group who is increasingly posing a threat to the West. We need a president who will listen to generals, will listen to reason and greed, allow time to formulate a non-conventional plan to fight this non-conventional enemy, and not give a damn about what corporations with military contracts and senators who have never even seen war have to say about it.
Income inequality is another major issue, because the wider it gets the worse things are going to get, for all of us (even many of our non-American members), and the closer we will get to a violent and bloody revolution.
The increasingly militarized police is another major issue. A military is for defending us, not oppressing us with assault rifles and fully-armored war vehicles.
The environment is another mega huge issue, because the health of the environment, of the planet, is literally our own health.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Example: Say current wages for job X is$8 an hour(minimum wage) current wages job Y is $30 a hour. Job X is mandated $15 a hour, an increase of 87.5%. Does it not follow that the person in job Y would want a substantial raise? They had to get some additional education and worked at lower wages to start, they sacrificed to get where they are now and have the drive to continue to improve. Do they not deserve a raise?

They have their raise by making by making just over four times the minimum wage. So what if minimum wage goes up and people don't have to rely on food stamps? The worker at $30 an hour can still afford extras and build up a good cushion of a savings that isn't likely to be wiped out at the first unplanned expense, such as a car repair (which tends to really hurt the minimum wage worker). Even if it's only twice the minimum wage, they are still making a ton more money than the minimum wage worker.
Or, look at my situation. I've been working since minimum wage was $5.25 an hour. I've worked many years, very hard, and I graduated from college with honors. I've put out applications at gas stations, pizza joints, and other jobs that pay minimum wage or just barely above it. If I can find work here, I'll be lucky to make just $10 an hour. Should I make $30, I'd feel great for those minimum wage earners because they won't struggle like I had to.