Letters: Readers' questions for Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

What plans do you have to reduce, or stop altogether, the outsourcing of American jobs overseas? In these times of high unemployment, wouldn't returning those jobs back here go a long way to help Americans pay their bills, boost their self respect, reduce unemployment, and get America smiling and confident once again?

What did President Barack Obama have in mind when he told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would have more flexibility after his next election, a comment that an open microphone picked up?

What would they do about the housing crisis? Programs that the government and the banks have put into place are not working. Instead of foreclosing on people, why not short-sell the property back to the borrower at the current market value and the current interest rate, and let's move on?

With congressional approval at an all-time low, would you seek a path to establish term limits on Congress? How about salaries tied to performance?

Do you support a ban on assault weapons, and how do you propose to reduce gun violence?

What is the single most important achievement you and your running mate will declare in 2016, if elected in 2012?

The failed war on drugs continues to waste billions of dollars and now millions of lives by incarcerating individuals who are mostly poor and addicted to controlled substances. Will you move toward ending it and fund community re-entry programs for those who could benefit from a different approach to controlled substances in the United States?

What is the cost to American taxpayers of illegal immigration?

What is your specific plan to lower the deficit without adding an additional tax burden on the middle class?

Do you believe that a candidate for president, who is on the ballot in 48 states, should be excluded from the debates? Would the League of Women Voters do this the same way?

Do the candidates believe we are already seeing impacts of climate change in Arctic ice loss and recent weather conditions? And if they do, what will they do about it?

For Mitt Romney: If he cuts taxes for the job creators, how will he ensure that the money saved would be invested back into the company to help working people? How can he ensure that the money would be spent on creating more jobs, on capital improvements or on pay raises for the workers?

Four years after the Bush presidency ended, America is still in a financial crisis, the housing slump continues, and the number of people out of work is more than 12 million. Added to that, Americans are under attack around the world. If you are elected, how do you envision America four years from now?

What is your position on the issue of U.S. economic self-sufficiency? Should the United States, to the extent possible, manufacture the products that we consume in our daily lives, rather than importing goods from abroad, thereby achieving maximum employment for our workforce and enhanced national security?

Do you believe that the Electoral College is still needed to elect the president? And if you won the majority of the nation's popular vote but not the Electoral College vote, how would you correct this situation?

For President Barack Obama: How can you justify denying the building of the Keystone oil pipeline, when it will help our economy and reduce our dependency on foreign imports?

In light of the Benghazi, Libya, attack on our consulate, please clarify U.S. policy with respect to our position in the Middle East and Islamic jihadist terrorism.

My wife is mentally disabled. When I retire, she will be 57, and she will lose my health insurance at my place of work. What types of affordable health insurance could she obtain since she has no income?

If a vacancy occurs, do you have a criterion that you would use to name a U.S. Supreme Court nominee? Can you name some of your possible choices?

I would ask both candidates, are you comfortable with the current level of expenditure for our space program? Our military? Would you make any changes?

If you were to discover or even just suspect that a position you held dear, whether on Obamacare, abortion, global warming or any other important issue, turned out to be based on inaccurate numbers, science or information, would you be open-minded enough to change your position to match the facts?

Gov. Mitt Romney, I believe that one way to measure your ability to create jobs is reflected in your past business success. That success, I believe, can be seen in part in your federal tax returns from 2001 to 2011. Will you release these tax returns?

Mr. President, you let Romney walk all over you in the last debate. How do I know that you will not let Congress, Republicans, Democrats, foreign leaders, and everyone in between walk all over you in a second term?

Why have the payroll tax cuts been ineffective in helping job creators create the jobs that are needed? Why does candidate Mitt Romney believe that further tax cuts will work, when these payroll tax cuts haven't?

Fuel costs have an effect on everything. Besides alternate energy, what is your specific plan to bring fuel prices down?

President Barack Obama, during this past debate, you mentioned that the time has come for companies such as ExxonMobil to stop receiving government subsidies. What has hindered this from happening?

With the global economy weakening, what can you do to keep U.S. products more competitive with those of other countries such as China, Japan and South Korea?

If the Romney-Ryan tax plan is supposed to be essentially neutral, with tax rate cuts paid for by elimination of various tax deductions, how does the plan help the economy?

What do the candidates plan to do to get people moving into foreclosed or vacant houses, and why hasn't the current president been more proactive in getting this done? It would create jobs.