Now that the primaries are over, the presidential election cycle will kick into high gear.

As I reflect on the immense challenges facing the 44th chief executive, I thought preparing a presidential "to-do" list would establish focus and get him off on the right foot.

1. America's future lies in the hands of political leaders, who somehow need to understand their constituency is far more interested in high-quality governance than in politics as usual or ideological gridlock. We desperately need bipartisanship at the federal level.

To quote Thomas Jefferson, "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government." Government has a lot of work to do; we need a president who will govern successfully from the middle, not the fringes.

2. The next president should insist that the entire Congress take a crash course in Economics 101. Universal understanding of the basic concept of supply and demand would instantly promote bipartisanship.

Americans suffer needlessly at the gas pump and grocery stores because of an inability or, worse, an unwillingness to work together to find reasonable solutions.

3. Our next leader needs to take a page out of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan playbooks. The public deserves assurances that our president will listen to the needs of American people and address issues quickly and efficiently. Honesty and action must replace political rhetoric and spin.

4. Fuel costs are spiraling out of control with no end in sight. In the short term, eliminating barriers to accelerate domestic oil production is vital, along with increasing refining capacity. In the long term, investment in nuclear, geo-thermal, wind and solar will be essential. The road to energy independence requires commercially viable innovations in alternative energies coupled with investment in technologies to protect the environment. Simply saying no-way and staying green is not rational.

5. Debating whether going to war was a mistake is a moot point. We are there and we must win. We must support the military and live up to our commitment. Thank God for Abraham Lincoln; imagine what the nation would look like today had he listened to the opposition and given up on the Civil War.

6. Eliminate subsidies for producing ethanol from corn and get back to growing corn for food. We can substitute grass as effectively as corn for producing ethanol. We are not simply forcing food prices up drastically; we are contributing to a worldwide food shortage. The United States, of which I have always been proud, is a superpower and we need to go back to acting like one.

7. Protect our borders. The issue of illegal immigration and border protection are two separate and distinct issues. We do not need more laws on the books; we simply need to enforce existing laws. The Department of Homeland Security needs adequate resources and public support to protect our borders. Holding employers accountable for illegal hiring practices will help a great deal. If the labor force suffers from a shortage of workers, increase the guest worker program or allow one immigrant to enter legally for every illegal immigrant caught and deported.

8. Make the Bush tax cuts permanent. As Winston Churchill said, "A nation who tries to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handles." The only winner in taxing for prosperity is big government.

9. Shrink the federal government. Begin by scrapping "No Child Left Behind," which forces teachers to do paperwork instead of being in the classroom, teaching our kids. I could go on forever about shrinking government, at the federal, state and local levels.

"A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have," Jefferson wrote.

10. Fix our eroding public transportation infrastructure. Invest in repairing roads and bridges. A modern transportation system will help the economy, the security of our nation, lower fuel usage and save lives.

This ought to keep our next president busy for the first 100 days in office. When he completes these tasks, I will send him a new list.

Paul R. LePage is the Republican mayor of Waterville.