If you could ask the White House economic team one question, what would it be?

Lefteris Pitarakis

United States Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson

"What are you doing to keep good paying manufacturing jobs in the USA? These jobs keep America strong, increase tax revenue reducing the deficit and make us less vulnerable to foreign control."
-- Rick S.

"What, if anything, are you doing to help recent college graduates, undergraduate and graduate, relieve some of their financial burden as a result of student loans? How is it that some college graduates leave the universities with upwards of $20,000 to $100,000 but don’t receive degrees and income to reflect the high costs they’ve endured?"
-- Jorge H., Florida

"How long do you believe the US economy can continue to fund the Iraq war? Given that the Iraqi Prime Minister claims that his forces can control the country and that US forces can leave anytime, shouldn’t we be leaving and saving US military lives in addition to saving money? If not, then can we at least pull the troops into a friendly country for the month of August? As Tony Snow commented, it gets very hot in Iraq in August so people need to take the month off."
-- Rob M., California

"How could you take such a blind eye to mortgage industry for so long? Keeping interest rates so low for so many years and Alan Greenspan recommending to the consumer to go out and get these Option Arm loans just so people could go into foreclosure 2 years later."
-- Dan F., Florida

"Why would you not lift the excessive federal tax on commissions and bonuses for corporate employees?"
-- Alina T., California

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"Why is it that we understand the problems of the mortgage industry as it sits today and we cannot accept the fact that a rate cut is imminent to boost the economy along with the restoration of the housing industry?"
-- Chito S.

"The Working Group on Financial Markets was established to avoid another 1987 type one day crash, are you using it now to stop any normal downside? How many times have you used it this month?"
-- Joe F., Connecticut

How low are we going to let the dollar drop before we start to support it? At the pace we are going you won't have to print dollars anymore just open up more foundry's and make more coins. Well at least they last longer and are much more difficult to counterfeit.
-- Tony P., Illinois

"Will we control the value of the dollar versus the euro or will we allow the euro to dictate the exchange rate?"
-- Louis S.

"Why are food and energy prices excluded from inflation figures when they make up the bulk of the products experiencing inflation, and certainly the most visible signs of inflation?"
-- Peter M., South Carolina

"Why is it good policy to tax the wages of working men and women at a higher rate than capital investments, when much of the capital gain wealth is related to trading paper and does not go directly to the business, unless it is an IPO?"
-- Randy M., Massachusetts

"Do any of you folks know the current cost of a gallon of milk in comparison to the cost last year at this time?"
-- Mike J., Texas

"Why doesn't the liberal media give the president more credit for a great economy?
-- Bob N.

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"How do you plan on dealing with the true risk of inflation to the average consumer? As a new homeowner with a limited budget, basically everything I buy is rapidly rising in price (food and energy). Inflation in my household is no where near the 2.x% reported."
-- John

“What are you doing to reduce the national debt?”
-- Wayne D., Texas

"Clearly everyone in the mortgage industry will tell you the subprime mortgage market issues are not contained to that sector of the market. The availability of Prime fund's is getting very tight. The 10-year bonds have fallen .35bps yet today mortgage rates again rose. How are you in such denial about the condition of the mortgage industry?"
-- Brian B., New Jersey