Presidential primary and caucus season is nearly upon us, and television moderators have scarcely been profiles in courage when asking the candidates questions.

Inasmuch as there are plenty of presidential hopefuls currently roaming the hustings, perhaps it’s time for the voters to ask the questions. A few pithy suggestions:

• Would you nominate a Supreme Court candidate who pledges to overturn Citizens United? Explain your answer.

• Are corporations “people”?

• Do you believe in global warming and/or human-caused climate change? Explain your answer and cite verifiable scientific evidence.

• Should creationism be taught in schools?

• How would you deal with income inequality? Is it a bad thing or merely the natural order of things?

• Should public schools be privatized? Should prisons?

• Would you reinstate the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act to cut banking excesses and speculation? Why or why not?

• Would you put U.S. troops on the ground in the Middle East? If you had children of military age, would you send them to serve in the Middle East?

• Should U.S. citizens be allowed to carry concealed handguns on Capitol Hill and the White House? No one-word answers.

• Ronald Reagan famously said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Do you favor border walls? Explain the difference.

• Do you support the Affordable Care Act? Support your answer with actual evidence. Would you accept health insurance paid by the federal government?

• What should the minimum wage be? Should there be a minimum wage?

• Do you support the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement?

• What is government for and why do we have an economy and who should it serve?

• Where do you get most of your news?

• Explain again why you are the best choice for president.

Greg Rossel

Troy