Preview for presidential hopefuls coming to Carson

It's exciting news that the nation's attention will be on Carson City next year when the Democratic presidential hopefuls arrive here for a forum.

With them and ahead of them will come the legions of TV crews taking the temperature of small-town America. You know the type ... they mill around in coffee shops asking local folk in flannel shirts what's on their minds.

In case those candidates want a head start on getting their forum answers ready, we can already tell them what they'll hear in our coffee shops.

First off, skip all the vague generalizations politicians use when they don't want to offend potential voters. We'll respect you more if you stand straight up, look into the cameras, and tell us what you think about the issues.

What issues? Well, you won't find many surprises there. Immigration is one of them, of course, and make sure you bring your voting record with you.

As you're driven through town, you'll see lots of people who are working paycheck to paycheck. In fact, many people are deeper in debt than they ought to be. In other words, we need to hear what you're going to do to keep Social Security solvent ... a lot of people will be depending on it when they retire.

And while we're talking about being far too deep in debt, what are you going to do to cut federal spending and pay down the federal deficit? It's not a comfortable feeling to know our economy is at the mercy of China.

If you happen to knock on some doors while you're in town - it makes for good photo ops - you'll probably meet some of our seniors. Again, no surprises here: they're probably going to show you their latest prescription bill and ask for your help in figuring out how to pay it and still keep a little extra money for groceries and the heating bill. And within a few more doors, you're bound to meet a gambling family. Oh, we're not talking about the casinos. They'd be one of the many families who have no health insurance and are one injury away from financial catastrophe. And you're bound to meet a veteran who's going to tell you how he or she put his her or life on the line to serve our country, and now they're having to fight for their benefits.

So be sure you bring real answers to share with all those people on these tough issues. But, relax, we'll leave you with an easy one: We're suckers for candidates who tell us Yucca Mountain will never open.