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The issue that I will be following closely this year is the United States economy and more specifically how it pertains to government. As we are still in the midst of a fairly lengthy economic downturn, this issue has become extremely important. The main issues that are of concern to the American people and policymakers at this time are countless, however, the most important questions fall into the following categories:
Fiscal Policy: How much should the government spend? How much should the American people be taxed? How much regulation should there be on big business and is economic stimulus like Obama’s advisable?
Monetary Policy: Should the Fed keep interest rates high or low? How much money should be created or destroyed in the economy? What should be the balance between monetary and fiscal policy? What should be done about inflation, if anything?
Jobs and Unemployment: What are the best ways to create jobs? Is unemployment really the best measure of our economy’s performance?
Taxes: What kind of taxes should we have? Should income taxes be more or less graduated or progressive, if at all? Is some other type of tax preferable to an income tax?
Because all of these issues are integral to the prosperity of America and its citizens, the economy highly motivates people to vote. It is also one of the most polarizing and stratifying issues. Democrats and Republicans were deadlocked for weeks on the debt ceiling issue and budget crisis.
As the year goes on, I will voice my opinion and the opinion of others on these questions, particularly the 2012 presidential candidates, and try to evaluate my beliefs and their beliefs in relation to the American people and their government.
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