Questions not being asked of candidates

Being in the midst of an election cycle I think it would be a good idea to put aside some of the hopeless "debates" on hot button issues and focus on things that may have more people sharing common ground.

Not many people seem willing to change their minds on items like gun control or climate change, regardless of facts presented. So why not ask a few questions on other issues that don't get as much attention, and yet have huge impacts on our everyday lives.

Why does the U.S. have by far the most expensive health care in the world and yet rank low in quality of care given? (See World Health Organization report or Commonwealth Fund report for starters.)

Why has the U.S. income gap increased so much since the 1980s? Why has the marginal tax rate on the highest income brackets gone down from at least 70 percent (1930s up until 1980) to 39 percent tops since 1988?

Why can corporations and the very rich spend unlimited amounts promoting candidates and political agendas? (See Citizens United Supreme Court case and SpeechNow.org lower court case). Does this allow them to ensure policies favorable to themselves? Does this undermine democracy?

How would our candidates answer these questions? How would you answer them?

Gerry McGovern

Naperville