Earlier this afternoon, we asked readers to send us questions they would ask if they found themselves sitting at tonight's presidential town hall-style debate. From questions about how to save the planet to healthcare hypocrisy, these are among the best. Candy Crowley, take note!
1. Mr. Romney, why are you hiding your tax returns?
—Pam Harris
2. With the country running ever larger deficits, why do we continue sending money we don't have to other countries?
—Mike Thomas
3. Governor Romney, why do you want to be president? How do I know that if I voted for you that you'd be working for the American people and not for the financial interests of Wall Street and the 1 percent?
—Amber Sherwood
4. Why are you afraid to include third parties in the debates?
—Ayesha de Queiroz
5. How soon will you give all undocumented citizens (that have not commited crimes) legal residency?
—Osvaldo Ozzie Quiroz Diaz
6. Deficit means income needed. My question for each candidate would be as follows: What specific top three tax law changes would you push to Congress to create revenue to lower the deficit?
—Brooke Pettengill
7. How do you propose we all work together to SAVE THE F*CKING PLANET?
—Jennifer Taylor
8. What specifically will you do to improve the quality of public education in a lasting and fair way? Why is this the right approach?
—Courtney Small Francis
9. A question for President Obama. You and your administration have failed each year to present a timely budget. In fact, you have failed to do so more times than any previous president in history. If re-elected, will you continue to ignore submitting a workable budget? What are your plans for the U.S. economy in the next four years and how do you plan to achieve them without a budget?
—Cheryl Brostrom
10. Between 2000 and 2008, the cumulative increase in health insurance premiums grew over three times as fast as wage increases. Mr. Romney, how do you intend to stop that without Obamacare? President Obama, how will Obamacare make premiums level off?
—Barbara Lipshutz
11. Gov. Romney, you have spent your campaign attacking a healthcare law that was based off of your Massachusetts plan. Now you say you want to enact something similar to your original plan. Governor, why are you attacking a plan that you helped create?
—PJ Haines