Judging from the presidential forums being held all over New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday's Republican primary, the biggest threats to America appear to be online piracy, an insidious United Nations and "crony capitalism."

Rick Santorum, for instance, fielded questions for 48 minutes from a crowd of 600 in Windham on Thursday before anyone mentioned jobs, the issue that's supposed to dominate the 2012 elections. He got a dozen questions before that, including two about alleged U.N. subversion of U.S. sovereignty, one each about states' rights and Judeo-Christian values, and two about a treaty to "stop online piracy."

Iowa and New Hampshire - small, largely rural and overwhelmingly white - both have unemployment rates far below the national average of 8.5 percent. It may help explain their voters' interest in non-economic issues. And it may leave the states a bit out of touch with the anxieties afflicting so much of the country.