we invited readers to draft a to-do list for the new president<u+2019>s first 100 days. hundreds did. to the editor: after a deeply polarizing election, donald trump<u+2019>s priority should be bipartisanship. so, here are three things president trump ought to do: 1. nominate a moderate supreme court justice, such as judge consuelo mar<u+00ed>a callahan of the ninth circuit. ms. callahan, who is hispanic, was nominated by george w. bush and was confirmed 99 to 0 by the senate. 2. select several democrats for high-profile cabinet positions. senators joe manchin and joe donnelly, both of whom are known for their bipartisanship, would be good candidates. 3. resist the temptation to fill vacancies with partisan surrogates like newt gingrich and rudy giuliani. instead, mr. trump should look to outsiders, such as paul brest, former dean of stanford law school, and the activist investor carl icahn. mr. trump emphasizes the value of being unpredictable. reaching out across the aisle would be the best way for him to demonstrate that quality. simon hedlin cambridge, mass. to the editor: the first 100 days in office should set the tone for the new administration. 1. heal wounds. do not preen about your victory but remember the tens of millions of citizens who did not vote for you. reach out to them and to their leaders. 2. bipartisanship. preach to our nation about the urgent need for both parties to behave constructively, not destructively. then practice what you preach. 3. the world stage. re-establish america<u+2019>s role as a world leader and a beacon for democracy<u+2019>s virtues. meet with other world leaders and reaffirm in words and deeds our commitment to ongoing partnerships. herbert h. feldman white plains to the editor: three priorities for the next president: 1. announce a comprehensive economic development plan for rural areas of the country through an urban-rural partnership. 2. extend broadband access to include all citizens of the united states, ending the digital divide. 3. announce a nationwide initiative to educate citizens on the importance of knowing the difference between verified facts and lies. teach about credible sources and noncredible sources. create a bipartisan truth task force to tackle the issue. rebecca lampman bruneau, idaho to the editor: 1. issue an executive order to remove all of our troops and advisers from afghanistan and iraq. those are civil wars that we have no business being involved in. it<u+2019>s time to pull the plug. 2. the best idea to come out of this campaign is free tuition for public colleges. 3. order that guant<u+00e1>namo be closed and all remaining inmates transferred to their countries of origin. we could pay these countries to take them, which would still be less than our current cost, which has been estimated to be more than $7 million per year per inmate. good luck with that! jimmy dunne houston to the editor: in the first 100 days i want president trump to address: 1. gerrymandering. manipulating the boundaries of election districts is why the approval rating of congress is abysmally low yet politicians from the same party continually get re-elected. 2. campaign finance reform. members of congress spend about half their time on the phone seeking funds for re-election. since we are paying them handsomely, i want them working for me full time. 3. the affordable care act. it<u+2019>s anything but affordable for much of the middle class. make health care a priority <u+2014> and reasonably priced. david pastore mountainside, n.j. to the editor: 1. end illegal immigration. deport current illegals. cut back legal immigration sharply. that will be a huge boost to housing and jobs in itself. 2. stop american involvement in the civil war in syria. 3. build housing and infrastructure. that<u+2019>s one thing donald trump knows how to do <u+2014> actually build physical things. nothing could be better for our country. pat lamken san francisco to the editor: in the first 100 days, we must: 1. start a national effort to survive climate change with forceful, scientific methodologies. time is running out. 2. institute an effort to improve our educational system, from grade schools through universities, so that future generations reach levels equal to those in finland. 3. bring back democracy. institute a voting system that allows all citizens to vote in elections without any gerrymandering or other tricks. the popular vote, not electoral votes, should choose a president. voting should be funded by the government, not by personal, corporate or super pac donations. andrew zwarun austin, tex. to the editor: 1. companies with money parked overseas should be allowed to return it to the united states at a 20 percent tax rate. these funds would be dedicated to pay off the national debt. 2. legalize marijuana and tax it at a federal rate of 15 percent. these funds should be used for infrastructure improvements. 3. remove the social security payroll tax cap. this will fix social security. john ridilla rio linda, calif. to the editor: the next president must bring the weight of the office to bear on three high-risk threats that are of low but increasing probability. 1. securing the stability of the nation<u+2019>s electrical grid against geomagnetic storms and cyberattack is the most critical. any prolonged outage of the grid could result in disaster beyond comprehension. 2. the president must lead a large-scale effort to ensure that layers of cybersecurity are built into the financial system. 3. the president must prepare for the next 9/11, which could come in the form of chemical or biological attacks. there is shockingly little being done in these areas. dudley bokoski greensboro, n.c. follow the new york times opinion section on facebook and twitter (@nytopinion) , and sign up for the opinion today newsletter . a version of this letter appears in print on november 13, 2016, on page sr10 of the new york edition with the headline: 3 tasks for the new no. 1. today's paper | subscribe
three priorities for the new president
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