Congratulations, [soon-to-be] President Obama. Now -- get to work.

If the president-elect wants some advice on what he should do as soon as he takes over the Oval Office, he should ask residents of the South Hills. Some here, in a casual poll, suggest the nation's new leader, who swept to a historic victory last week, should spend his first days in office pulling out of Iraq and shoring up the economy.

"Lower taxes, fix the economy and end the war," counted off Ronald Favic, 19, of Scott, who works at a beer distributorship.

Susan Dugan, 52, of Bethel Park, is more specific. The Beverly Services worker wants the new president to fix "my 401(k) to where it used to be."

Still, others suggested that he could make his first official act the purchase of a First Puppy or plugging holes in fatty pork barrels that clog the system.

Earlier this week, Mr. Obama's transition team hinted at an ambitious agenda for the new president. Mr. Obama is poised to move swiftly to reverse some Bush administration decisions on stem-cell research, oil drilling, the Guantanamo Bay prison and other issues.

The president-elect has said his overarching priority is to fix the nation's economy.

Heady stuff indeed and fodder for the editorial pages. But here's some other, decidedly off-the-cuff, ideas. Some are lighthearted, others downright savvy tips for the first days when Illinois Sen. Obama becomes President Obama.

Help for the middle class should be the new president's first priority, suggested Christine Lauritzen, of Bethel Park.

"Find us again," said Ms. Lauritzen, 42, a marketing executive.

"We work hard, so get our taxes under control so we don't feel like we're treading water," she said.

"We're not spending time with our children; families aren't able to sit down together for dinner because we are having to work multiple jobs. I work three," she said.

Victor Cancino, of Lincoln Place, said he wants Mr. Obama to immediately "order the troops out of Iraq." Fixing the economy is also a priority, said Mr. Cancino, a retiree.

The new president can start by cleaning out "some of those pork barrels," he said, using the term for lawmakers' pet projects that often earn them re-election.

"I like his style," Mr. Cancino said of the president-elect. "I voted for him because I think he is strong in his convictions and very academic."

Donna Shuck, of McKeesport, noted that the new president is inheriting a "tough job."

"He has his hands full. The economy and job market are his first things to fix," she said.

"Education and healthcare are also very important." said Ms. Shuck, 49, an information consultant.

Bridgette Powell, of Homestead, advised the new president to "jump-start the economy, but watch out for the National Debt."

"If you're trying to get a home these days, you can't get any credit,' said Ms. Powell, 24, a cashier at Filene's Basement at The Waterfront.

Then there's puppy power.

"First off, he should get a dog, a bichon frise, because that's my favorite kind," suggested Kirsten Jones, 8, a third-grader at Whitehall Elementary.

But it's not all fun and games, she warned.

Once the new president is settled, he should "give food, clothing and care to poor kids because it's really hard to find a job and it's not the kid's fault if their parents can't find a job," Kirsten said.

Beverly Conrad, an English teacher at Mt. Lebanon High School, would like to see the new president start his day "reaching across the aisle [in a bipartisan effort], as he promised to do."

But, "with his choice of Chief of Staff [Rahm Emanuel], it doesn't look like he's going to do that," said Ms. Conrad, 37, of Baldwin Borough.

Mr. Emanuel, an Illinois congressman, is an alumnus of the Clinton White House.

At 17, Jake Lampenfield, of Bethel Park, was not eligible to vote in this month's election, but he has some advice to offer.

"The first thing that President Obama needs to do is fix the economy because it's really down and it needs to come back.

"The second is to bring the troops out of Iraq. We've been there too long and we're done. We should move to Afghanistan because that was our primary objective.

"The third is to get everyone free healthcare but with limits. People can still keep the health care that they have, but there should be minimum healthcare for everyone to cover basic needs. Everyone should be able to have basic prescriptions and some hospital fees and minor surgery. More expensive prescriptions and surgery could be covered by elective health insurance," said Jake, an 11th-grader at Bethel Park High School.

Ann Martin, of Mt. Lebanon, said she is worried about problems here at home and said the new president could help with more subsidies for mass transit.

"We have [the] threat of a [Port Authority bus] strike and that's going to stop a lot of people from going to work. If they would balance the budgets and subsidize public transportation, we wouldn't have this," said Ms. Martin, 45, a university administrator.

Similarly, Bernadette Elder, of Peters, said the administration should help privatize the Port Authority.

"It's the most expensive system in the country with the least service," she said.

She also wishes a new administration could find "incentives to keep young people in Pittsburgh after they graduate from our colleges and universities."

Ms. Elder, 61, is a legal assistant for U.S. Steel Corp.

Bob Dini, of Dormont, thinks the new president's first job is to "appoint a strong cabinet with some experienced bipartisan members, such as Collin Powell."

President Obama, he said, should include moderate Republicans and govern from the center for the first two years.

"And, he should avoid polarizing issues such as universal health insurance and abortion," said Mr. Dini, 43, who works for Prudential Preferred Realty, Mt. Lebanon.

Patty Sweeney, of Mt. Lebanon, said the new president should "have our government invest in research and education so that we can expand business and make Americans more competitive and create decent jobs," said Ms. Sweeney, 44, who is unemployed.

Larry Rettger, 47, of Munhall, also jobless, wants the new president to immediately "bail out General Motors and extend unemployment in a stimulus package."

Kenny Sikora, of Munhall, is another who advises the president to quickly "take our soldiers out of Iraq and help the economy."

He added a twist: "Help schools by buying Macintosh laptops for each kid. And lower school lunch costs,'' said Kenny, 14, a ninth-grader at Steel Valley High School.

Ted Moses, of Mount Oliver, thinks the first thing President Obama should do is "provide basic healthcare to the elderly instead of worrying about stem-cell research. Take care of people who need it now," advised Mr. Moses, 62, who is a fundraiser.

Mark Bauerle, 34, of West Mifflin, is unemployed and said the new president must start by "helping the needy."

"All he has to do is do everything he said he was going to do. I voted for him. I think he is going to be a very good president."