Editor's Notebook

As I wrote the questions, it occurred to me that few of them had been addressed by the major party candidates during their campaigns this fall. If they had done so, we'd have a better idea of how the winner will approach some of the big problems likely to come up during the next four years. Here's the list.

Defense. Our Defense establishment has undergone substantial cuts in the last few years. How much more room for shrinkage is there? Second, is it appropriate to be playing the world's policeman in venues as disparate as Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq and Rwanda?

Inner Cities. The impoverished in our inner cities are a blot on our conscience: No jobs. Lousy education. High crime. Terrible housing. What should our national government do?

Education. We are one of few developed nations lacking minimal national standards for elementary and secondary education. At the same time we're losing jobs in knowledge occupations as well as manufacturing. Shouldn't the national government make sure we're producing a workforce able to compete in the global economy?

Regulation. The electric power industry is on the verge of a sweeping restructuring and deregulation. Low-cost power generating plants in the Midwest will be able to send electricity into the Northeast at considerable savings to consumers. These coal-burning Midwestern utilities also export acid rain to the Northeast as well. How should the federal government regulate this interstate pollution?

Social Security. Huge problems loom as baby boomers retire. One suggested solution: Privatize aspects of the system, allowing people to invest in the stock market. But this idea could go awry should the stock market crash. Do you favor this option? What else can be done?

Medicare. It's going broke fast due to the growing population of elderly and higher cost of care. How can we fix it without rationing care and limiting access to high-cost technology? Or should we simply bite the bullet and do that?

Corporate giveaways. Under 1872 law, companies in the West can mine valuable minerals from federal land without paying royalties to the U.S. treasury. They can even buy land for $5 per acre. So U.S. citizens are receiving essentially nothing for liquidation of the nation's assets. What would you do about this law?

Crime. Isn't this a quintessentially state and local matter? If so, why should this be the fastest-growing area of the federal budget? Should we get the national government out of some of, or even a lot of, law enforcement?

Here's a challenge to you, gentle readers: Make up a few more questions and send them to us or e-mail them to letters@govexec.com. Early next year, we'll publish an improved roster of questions-offering our political leaders the agenda they should address.