Continuing our special emphasis on the 2000 campaign, we share viewers' ideas about what issues should be talked about in the coming election.

JIM LEHRER: Finally tonight, more on our special emphasis on what the 2000 presidential campaign should be about. We started asking individuals and groups that question 10 weeks ago. We also invited viewers to participate via the Online NewsHour and by mail. Terence Smith has another report on that response.

TERENCE SMITH: Since June, when the NewsHour first asked viewers to send in their opinions of what the presidential candidates should be talking about, more than 7,000 of you have responded. Among the most frequently mentioned issues were the federal budget and national debt; education; foreign policy; and health care. But the number one issue by far, according to your responses, is the need to reform the financing of political campaigns in this country. We asked some of our viewers to read their letters for us. Tito Meyer of Plano, Texas:

TITO MEYER, Plano, Texas: The only critical issue is campaign finance reform. Without meaningful reform, we will not see the work done by the federal government that we need, such as health care delivery and cost reform, gun control, and tax reform. Until the voters force the President and Congress to ignore the extortionate influence of wealthy special interests, there will be no campaign finance reform. Unfortunately, because most people are so doing well right now, it is too easy to shrug our shoulders and blow off politics. So I am not optimistic in the short run, but I hope that someday, the voters will take back deciding who is elected to represent us.

TERENCE SMITH: Others agreed, like Robert Flagg of Danville, California. He wrote: "We have a system of government engaged in legalized bribery, which sells special favors to the highest bidders. Mark Twain many years ago stated 'we have the best government money can buy.' No correction has been made in the intervening years, so how can we hope it will ever be changed? But Steve Rolfsmeier of Lincoln, Nebraska disagreed. He wrote: "My concern is that if contributions are limited, then third parties will be choked out of existence. Parties with initially few members need money to get their ideas out to the public, and one large donor can make a big difference. Let's face it, the Reform Party came into being because Ross Perot financed it."

TERENCE SMITH: The issue of Social Security and how to keep the program solvent also came up. John Woods of Madison, Wisconsin:

JOHN WOODS, Madison, Wisconsin: I am concerned about Social Security. I'm not so worried about collecting as I am about how much it costs me - as a self-employed person one of my highest taxes is the Social Security tax - and more importantly, and how much it's going to cost my kids. I am 56, and my kids are going to have to pay a large percentage of their income to keep the system solvent. I think we should either be looking for alternatives to Social Security, or we should stop putting Social Security taxes in with general revenue. I think these funds should be kept completely separate from the rest of the budget. I wonder if that were the case whether we would really have a budget surplus.

TERENCE SMITH: Derek Green of El Dorado Hills, California wants less government spending. He wrote: "I'd like Election 2000 to focus on reducing the size of the federal government, particularly reducing the size of entitlement programs. I'd also like to see a resurgence in the debate on tax reform." But Elizabeth Waldorf of Biloxi, Mississippi wrote: "With a budget surplus, we have a golden opportunity to study and tackle serious environmental problems: Preventing soil erosion, increasing metal and mineral recycling, cleaning our air and water, stabilizing or reducing the generation of paper and plastic wastes, to name some of our more pressing issues on the home front."

TERENCE SMITH: Peter Bakos of Sarasota, Florida wants the candidates to show strong presidential leadership.

PETER BAKOS, Sarasota, Florida: First, I want a candidate who understands the fundamentals of our Constitution and who recognizes that big government, social programs, and pandering to various components of the population cannot solve problems, only compound them. I also want a candidate who understands foreign affairs, history and our place in the world; who will work for true free trade, who will not try to meddle in everybody else's business. Finally, I want a candidate who is not so ego-driven as to be concerned about his or her place in history, but who is concerned with getting the job done.

TERENCE SMITH: Altona Duston of Kansas City, Missouri said:

ALTONA DUSTON, Kansas City, Missouri: I believe that a presidential election should focus on foreign affairs. Look at our recent history to see the complex issues our Presidents have had to face and the decisions they have made, often before Congress can or will act. Having said this, I also believe that the average American citizen does not take interest in foreign affairs, and that the voters will focus on domestic issues.

TERENCE SMITH: And that's the view from many of our respondents. They expressed a number of domestic concerns that they feel are not being adequately addressed. Sally Pina of San Francisco, California said education should be a priority in the 2000 campaign.

SALLY PINA, San Francisco, California: A decent public education for everyone should be at the heart of any election, whether on the local, state or federal level in the year 2000. To date, these issues are sadly lacking in election debates on any level.

TERENCE SMITH: Cindy Morris of Marion, Arkansas is concerned with the effects of population growth and overcrowding. "Over development and sprawl are negatively impacting the quality of life in America. There are economic implications to all solutions to these problems. There is little or no discussion of the compromises we currently make or the long-term consequences of allowing the status quo to continue." And Daniel Bixler of Keene, New Hampshire wrote: "We need a radical solution to the health care crisis. I am interested in the flat tax and reducing the role and spending of the IRS." The number and diversity of the responses we've received so far in the Agenda 2000 series suggests that even if the presidential election is 14 months away, the issues are very much on the public's mind.

JIM LEHRER: A reminder that you can participate by visiting our Web site at www.pbs.org/newshour, and also by regular mail, to the NewsHour, Box 2626, Washington, D.C., 20013.