If I had it my way, I’d elect Ron Paul as president of the United States, because the most important issue in my mind is avoiding U.S. bankruptcy (which is coming). The only way to do that is by being fiscally conservative — something Paul excels at (in theory).

While President Bush may be conservative in his beliefs, I’m told he has spent more tax dollars (and borrowed more money) than any other U.S. president. That’s not conservative. So whomever gets the nomination next November, it’s likely they’ll be more responsible with foreign credit cards than Bush has been. That’s a good thing, whatever their larger political beliefs may be.

There are other saving graces of mainstream candidates too. If elected, Barak Obama would be the first black man to be president. That’s reason enough to be the best president he can be. Hilary Clinton would share his motivation if she were elected as the first female president. Mitt Romney understands the importance of cash flows and how to grow large businesses — I’m confident he could scale those ideas to the federal government. And John McCain… okay there’s no silver lining if John McCain were elected.

In short, I hope integrity and ambition will inspire mainstream candidates to effectively run the executive branch of this country in memorable fashion, even if they have to turn their backs on the campaign donors who have bought and paid for special interest. And I hope the presidential-elect will share my concern and urgency in avoiding financial ruin.

If we go bankrupt as a country, we can’t take care of our own. We can’t be independent. We can’t protect the rights of our citizens. We can’t reform health care. We can’t back the dollar. We can’t support entrepreneurs. We can’t care for the poor abroad. We can’t be humanitarian. We can’t protect religious freedoms. We can’t protect civil liberties. We can’t insure savings. We can’t stint terrorism. We can’t save the planet. We can’t [insert your favorite policy here].

Being fiscally conservative is the most important issue right now.