o Who to vote for in 2008

Who cares? The system is broken.

Until the current system changes, any vote for a major party candidate is just perpetuating the flaws. The real solution lies in mapping out how the current election process works, what the role of government agencies are, how the budget is managed, and then deciding how to make the entire system better. Its time for a new Constitutional Convention.

Proof that system is broken:
1) Financial markets not properly regulated.
2) Year on year deficit spending.
3) Votes on bills are either 100% on party or 100% the other. If the ideas in a bill are sound, then party lines should not separate the votes.

Here's a few suggestions:
1) Lobbyist cannot have their offices within the city limits of Washington DC.
2) Instead of having members of the House do whatever they do, have them run the government agencies. For example, the Department of Agriculture should be run by elected congressmen. Let the Senate do the law passing.
3) A Republican President must appoint Democrats or another party to the cabinet positions. A Democratic President must appoint Republicans or another party to their cabinet. This eliminates that intense and bitter rivalry for president. Everybody wins in some way.
4) Enforce a five Party system instead of a two Party system so there is some choice among elected officials. Heck, I have more choices when I want to buy toothpaste than I do electing a President. How about a political party called the "Solution Party?" One party that has no political ideology, and whose only objective is to set up economic systems that work.
5) Instead of the House of Representatives, have a jury duty-like selection to pick 50 experts and have this "jury pool" convene in Washington DC. The "jury" would provide advice for measures that are currently under the consideration of the Senate and ready to be passed as law. The Senate would get real advice from a politically neutral team of experts, not just "ding dongs" that won a popularity contest from their constituency.
This is how it would work. Let's say a bill is up for debate that allows citizens to invest their Social Security in the stock market. Call on 10 Wall Street brokers, 10 finance professors, 10 authors of books on the subject, 10 teachers, and 10 random people to show up for an all expenses paid trip to Washington DC. Sit the 50 people in a room for a week and have them draft a cost benefit analysis of the proposal. The Senate can then use the document as a recommendation on how to vote.
6) Force a playoff type election system. Each party should have primary challengers with equal funding for each candidate. Only primaries with 2 or more candidates running against each other should be considered as legitimate competition.
7) Pay bonuses based on job approval ratings.