Most Americans casting their votes in presidential primaries across the country have had one major concern - how to fix the troubled economy.
    Growing numbers of families losing their homes to foreclosure amid the escalating lending crisis and others facing long bouts of unemployment because of a lack of jobs have made the economy the No. 1 issue.
    In Utah, just days away from the state's Feb. 5 presidential primary on Super Tuesday, there also is plenty of economic angst, but for different reasons. With mortgage defaults comparatively low, virtually no unemployment and a housing market that's cooling but not tanking, West Valley City Pastor Ron Holdsworth speaks for others when he talks about his key issue.
    He laments the billions of dollars being spent on the war in Iraq while there are so many pressing financial concerns relating to issues, such as education, and while many families' incomes can't keep pace with the rising cost of everything from health care to gasoline.
    "Here we are, spending all this money in Iraq when so many people can't afford health coverage," said Holdsworth, one of nearly three dozen Utahns randomly selected and asked to reflect on the importance of economic issues in the upcoming primary. "I don't think it's right that a country as great as we are can't take care of our own."
    More than half of those contacted said that although the economy is important, it is money being spent - and the lives being lost - in a faraway country that troubles them most.

The group reflected a mix of young and old, urbanites and those in rural areas, and included eight people of color. Although most leaned toward Democratic candidates when asked who was best suited to fix the economy, all of the leading candidates from both parties received support.
    Holdsworth, 77, a pastor at Granger Community Christian Church, believes the next president needs to re-evaluate the nation's economic priorities. His concerns are echoed by Sonya Aleman, 34, who lives in the Rose Park area of Salt Lake City. "A lot of money is going to the war that could be going to health care, which has such a great impact on families and on their social well-being," she said.
                                                                                                                                                 

Ron Holdsworth is pastor of Granger Community Christian Church in West Valley.

He is leaning toward Hillary Clinton. He believes we should spend the time and money

we are investing in the war in Iraq on our own problems back home, such as

health care and the economy. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune )

    For many, there are a variety of domestic economic issues that need more attention.

    Charles Black, 69, co-owner of Black Island Farms in Syracuse, wants more brainpower and money spent addressing the issue of immigration, which directly impacts his agriculture operation. On the one hand, he needs a reliable, legal work force. But, on the other, "there's such a flood of people coming in that it changes the whole dynamic of our country."
    Carlos Linares, 34, who operates his own consulting company, also thinks there should be an emphasis on employment as it relates to immigration. "Let's look at the benefits of a strong immigrant labor force. When you do that, you have the opportunity to turn things around to benefit the economy and the nation, in addition to providing opportunities for immigrants."

Like many of those surveyed, Salt Lake City attorney Jim Warlaumont, 51, thinks the next president should invest domestically to improve the quality of life of American families.
    "Instead of investing in wars, invest in the environment, education and technology," he said.
    Another key issue among those surveyed was the U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Ronda Y. Fisher, 46, of Layton, a member of the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce, shared the view that she simply isn't getting ahead - or moving forward as fast as she'd like - because of the higher cost of necessities, such as gasoline.
    Says Fisher: "[The price of] gas has been killing us for the last couple of years and it just seems like it's getting worse."