What issues do Americans say will be most important

What issues do Americans say will be most important to their vote for Congress?

Right now, there isn't one issue that clearly outdistances the others in recent polls.

According to some polls priority of issues are : the economy (16 percent) and gas prices (15 percent) edge out Iraq (13 percent), followed by immigration (12 percent), health care (11percent), and terrorism (10 percent). Two issues that are often included fail to make it into the double-digits are ethics in Washington (9 percent) and Social Security (7 percent).

* * * * * *
You don't need to search for another indicator that "US" Americans are ignorant, apathetic, and oblivious to reality.
***********

Here is the relative priority I would have listed these issues, including why and what I suggest might help.

1. National Defense - Accomplishing goals in our international involvements to include the "war on terrorism, Iraq, etc."
a. No other level of our social structure can address this scope and it isn't free, cheap or avoidable.
b. The need for comprehensive citizen contribution-respect is apparent - everyone should be required to personally do "service to country" for a period of time, full time - "draft" all who don't volunteer a designated period of their life by age thirty and extend "service to country" to non-combat needs. People don't appreciate what they get for free.

2. Immigration control - an enforceable and enforced solution. Immigration is not a right of entitlement - it is a plea for inclusion. There is a price of inclusion which your grandfather and father paid for you to have the advantages.
a. To be included does not mean an expectation for the populace to change according to your personal language, cultural or religious needs.
The cost to bend society to immigrant "rights" has us overextended financially, if not morally or legally. The resources of our country are becoming insufficient to it's current citizenry, so we must not add to the population and must regulate what access to our resources we permit...to our best interest. We must deny the expectation of immigrants to enjoy the benefits of citizenry until they can meet our immigration laws. There is a limit to the number who may safely get on board a ship in shark infested waters...and be responsible to those who maintain the ship and the offspring of those who built it.

3. Energy - Gas prices are an indicator of energy supplies and how they affect every aspect of our lives on a nationwide basis. We must seek solutions to the upcoming real energy crisis. No other level of our social structure can address a nationwide need for secure and reasonably plentiful energy. Carbon based energy sources have limits and their end is surprisingly close.

4. International relations - Only a national entity can fend for us in this arena. The issues within are vigilance, contribution, involvement, development and improvement on a nation to nation basis. It is a shame that the United Nations is primarily successful only in distribution of charities and almost impotent in the security of the earth and its inhabitants.
____________________________________________________
The above are what we need in national perspective from a Federal Government...things that we cannot do otherwise. To what remains of "national issues":

Ethics - like morality laws - impossible to enforce as a preventative measure...useful after the fact to punish offenders but often without restitution to the victims. Concentrate on advanced citizenship to be involved in candidates for office, voting and speaking out ... make unethical unsuccessful.

Health care - if you want medical care really screwed up, let bureaucratic federal government try to control, standardize, regulate etc. ad infinitum, this most personal issue.
a. Concentrate on the obstacles:
(1) Litigation that is unreasonable in value/cost added. Monetary awards in lawsuits do not enhance medical care - they give money to lawyers and individuals often beyond what is fair - and the cost is passed to the consumers (those that can pay). In the medical arena, the concern should be to address criminal transgressions. Malpractice suits, should result in other forms of resolution than money and should only address extremes in levels of risk in medical procedures (to expunge the clearly incompetent). Malpractise insurance should not be expensive, it should just be difficult to get and keep ... commensurate with a reasonable level of competence. A significant percentage of medical costs and obstacles would be reduced herein and thus more people could afford and benefit.
(2) Free health care (someone always pays) or impractical expectations to a degree of it. Health care is a supply and demand process...as an individual you must be responsible for you and yours to pay the price. Getting sick, having genetically predisposed illnesses, having accidents, disease...all these are adverse life issues which inevitably everyone encounters. Expecting others to pay for your personal survival is unreasonable and impractacle. Depending upon it is unwise. The federal government should not be responsibile for your personal health except when you are working fulltime and directly "in service to country." If, and I question the degree, there is a role for government in health, it should be towards education, disease prevention processes and research; and not personal individual-level health.

[NOTE: What is the true cost of medical care? Imagine government taking over the provision of all medical care, personnel, facilities, drugs or devices and making any private effort to do so illegal with extreme punishment for law breakers. The branches of government attention would be intense and eventually fair to all in cost. The black market would make it in the best interest of all to settle on what is reasonable. Oh yeah, and Federal taxes would increase.]

Economy - government entities have been charged with, taken credit/blame for and established controls affecting economy for centuries. Rarely has such involvement resolved inequities in the supply and demand process. When it has, it has often been at a cost to be paid at another time, place, group that resulted in even greater discomfort. A degree of international commerce regulation would appear reasonable in matters of defense, or nationwide scope.

Social security - the term suggests that society is responsible for your security, but that has been irresponsibly extended to your health, sustenance, burial, income, offspring and everything else that truly is your personal responsibility. Many people have wished for guarantees that they will not go wanting, expecting "the government" to do something - and have been sorely disappointed. There are no guarantees. Life is risk. Prepare and accept responsibility for yourself and your offspring. Your ancestors did - or you wouldn't be here. You pay social security tax - consider it forced charity for the deserving but don't expect your small insurance premium to cover all the risks and misfortunes in life for all people. If you never paid the premium, expect nothing.

Iraq (specifically) - Re-examine the goals and commit to a measureable accomplishment. War is certain hell and few want it. The degree to which people will accept the need for war is almost always a concern for personal loss or gain...and the number against it increases relative to those who have taken a personal loss. Many a soldier would have quit his post had it not been for a personal loss - his honor, his life, his freedom - as enforced by the powerful. Many a war would not have begun, had every citizen been required to enter into combat including both sides. So long as evil persons attain power enabled by an apathetic citizenry, war will exist. It is unfortunate, but necessary, that nations with deligent citizenry must eventually fight such evil. Nations, like individuals, must accept responsibility for their actions (or inaction) to include apathy and vigilence, to the degree that war becomes inevitable.

Gas prices (specifically) - Don't buy what you can't afford. Don't depend upon what you cannot obtain. The United States of America enjoys the least expensive petroleum and consumes the most petroleum (and its byproducts) per capita of any nation on earth. As a simple supply and demand perspective, its citizens should be thankful and concentrate intently on energy sources which are sustainable, financially practical and less subject to the interests of other countries. Do what needs be done and quit bitching. You aren't victims on gas prices except by your own avarice and greed.

I welcome additions and counter-perspectives as comments.

They come to America

Regarding illegal immigrants, their protests, and the expectation of United States of America citizens:

Immigration is not a right of entitlement...it is a plea for inclusion. To be included there is a price. Fortunately for those who are born citizens, someone in their ancestry paid that price and to them they should be thankful but the remainder of the price is working within the system to the pursuit of happiness.

People who enter the USA contrary to its laws of citizenship have no ancestry that paid for the right to live here and enjoy the advantages; and those that further seek to enjoy the advantages without paying the price are thieves.
Part of my motivation to work within the system, to serve in our military, to pay taxes, to vote for leaders and improvements in the law, to contribute to our society is to secure a future of these advantages for my children and my children's children.

It may be unfortunate for some to be born of a family in a impoverished country. However, the great majority of mankind is so born. However, there is still an opportunity to join another country and live according to that society's laws and expectations...and many do so to enter the United States of America. It may be that this is an extension of the "survival of the most fit" among societies. The genetic offspring of those willing to work to succeed, would seem best to begin their lives as members of their society.

It is within this framework that I ask those who steal from my ancestors, why they cannot work to succeed within their own country and pass down to their children the resulting advantages. It is within this framework that I ask those who take from this society, why they do not contribute to the welfare of all within it.

Remember the USA was also a colony. It was not a land of great wealth, advanced medical care, or advantages equal to the society from which colonists left. The majority of citizens of this colony did not return to their native country to spend their earnings and support their families there. They did invest themselves and their earnings in improving this society; they did fight tyrants to secure and maintain this country; and they did welcome others who wished to do the same for their lives and a future for their children. Other countries in the Americas began much the same. Why are they not equal to the US in advantage to their citizens?

At this point in history, there are other countries in the Americas with great resources, who could develop within their societies much improved lives for themselves and their offspring.

Herein I have asked many questions. All men are not born equal, nor do they have equal opportunity and it is merely a romantic notion to think otherwise. I do not advocate that all mankind should propagate. I do advocate that the survival of mankind depends upon the advance of the brightest, the best and the most capable willing to work for the survival of those societies that have evolved successfully. Let those who can do this in the United States of America live here and come here. Let others fend for themselves in their society.

My concern is that the USA is not fending for itself when it advances the less than bright, welcomes the less than best, supports too many less capable and sustains those unwilling to work in contribution.