Citizen Survey: What do you think are the most important issues in the presidential election?

Rod Scott, Corinth: “Gun control and managing welfare. I think they need to stop messing with the law-abiding citizens and (do) more to prevent felons and the mentally ill from purchasing guns and leave the gun-carrying, law-abiding citizens alone. (In terms of welfare) I just think that they need to have more restrictions and quit giving away free money to people that don’t deserve it and don’t qualify.”

Bob Jacoby, Ashland: “Economic equality. The yawning gap between the very small percentage of wealthy people who seem to be controlling the process and the growing number of people who are barely being able to maintain middle class is the most critical issue to all Americans. Everything follows from that. We’re either a country where we all have an equal shot like we think we are or we’re not.”

Clay Nails, Alcorn County: “It all comes back to job creation, and that’s the only issue that there is. If there are jobs that are here and people have access to a job it gives people something to look forward to. Everybody needs something to do, and the fact that lots of people don’t have something to do gives rise to crime, it gives rise to family instability, all of which comes back to the central point, which is job creation.”

Tim Young, Corinth: “I’d like them (the politicians, the Democrats and Republicans) to do something to take care of themselves, to control themselves, to control the spending and take care of the debt, get things back in order the way they should be, bring us back to our grassroots. To bring back fiscal responsibility would be a big thing to me.”

Jason Blakney, Burnsville: “Getting our country back to where it was, and the financial mess we’re in. (Electing someone) who is really going to lead for the people and not theirselves and do something about all the terrorists.”

Mary Dilworth, Booneville: “Social Security, because as we get older that’s what we look forward to, at least we used to, but now we don’t (because of the economy). It takes more to live than it used to.”