What would you choose as the single most important issue for candidates in 2008?

My personal answer to this is for America to be of the people, for the people and by the people. By "the people" I mean American citizens. If the government intends to take such a large chunk of my money for the rest of my life, I want to know that it will go to Americans (if not back in my pocket). All of the money for Medicare and SS I have paid should go to needy citizens and not illegal aliens who could outrun border patrol. I have no doubt it will hurt American businesses, but the last few decades they have grown financially fat at the taxpayers expense. What is worse is the working class has been pushed out by overseas telephone services. The result are people who I cannot understand, and who do not understand me, but most of all will not be fired. Companies do not want to pay Americans, but they want their money. This issue is too big to be solved by ICE ans/or the labor department. This is my single question that will get or withhold my vote. Do you have one? What is yours?

I answered my own question for me, but that is not the absolute answer. Actually there is no absolute answer, just curious of what others think....

I would say national security (which to my mind would include closing and controlling our borders, policies to remove illegal aliens, restricted trade policies with nations producing dangerous goods, restricting immigration from nations that are hostile to the US (here meaning Islamic nations specifically), heavy investment and use of intelligence and investigative law enforcement, investment and building of new prisons, court appointees that will protect America and do not legislate from the bench, removing the emphasis on oil by finding and using alternative fuel sources, reducing our national debt and discontinuing our reliance on foreign loans, etc).

I think the issue of the borders and illegal aliens is probably the best test in this regard, and I would say is my "single issue" (although this is a lead off to the other issues) this election.

The President can actually do alot about many or most of these things. He/she cannot dictate a national health care system (they do not have the power to do that).

The present war in Iraq, what else? You asked for a single issue, but you've listed several. Nothing like answering your own Q.

It's a tossup between Illegal Immigration and American Civil Rights!

Upholding our laws would be a great start. We could work from there.

the distribution of resources

the only reasonable approach is egalitarian utilitarianism. as long as the united states has stupid policies like warfare, the earth and all of our people will suffer, and resources will be wasted and destroyed to the detriment of us and our future people.

Stopping illegal immigration and securing our borders,both north &south,mostly the southern border.And setting HIGH fines for employers who hire them

The national debt. By eliminating it, we can open up funds for everything such as education, health care, political reform, and anything else that is near and dear to your heart. If there is no money, there is no way any program/bill/law can be successfully implemented.