Fist of all, Global, Great Post!!! welcome to the boards. I looked at your blog; some good stuff in there!
I think the biggest insult to the American People is the Administration knows the public is not happy with their preformance! The anti American sentiment you speak of world wide is, unfourtunately, being heard right here in the ranks of Americans too. This forum and most of the blogs in this country, show this to be true. 52% of Americans now think Bush should be impeached, yet the Senate just voted to not investigate Bush's Domestic Spying Program.
Other countries would have overthrown their government by now. Our System allows us to change leaders in a more civilized way. As long as we can get everyone off their asses to vote! Unfourtunately I will have to say that the American Public is pretty lame when it come to getting involved. Voter turn out has been an embarassment.
I know most of the people here on this forum probably vote or you wouldn't be involved with this site to start with. I think we all need to start spreading the word now! Tell people if they blow off voting there will be hell to pay later. Getting the control of the Senate away from Bush is, I think, really a matter of life and death. Continually telling people you know, about the need to vote in November, from now until then, may get through to some of the 'I don't cares'.
Vote out the Republican Senators this November, voting Green and filling in the rest with democrats. Help restore the checks and balances that this government has proven it needs!
Then we should all get involved with hands on projects to change our voting system for 2008 to get rid of the monopoly.
To start with, both the Democratic and Republican parties should be disbanded.
I totally agree on ditching the electoral college. Run off voting should be implimented.
Also key will be getting rid off all the lobbyists. None! The real cozy senators and other lawmakers need to be looked over very carefully also. Laws should never be about who is paying the lawmakers the most.
I also think we should do away with political parties all together. Make it so a candidate must get 10,000 recent, legit, signatures with verifiable addresses and telephone numbers, to be a candidate. This should make the number of candidates managable. It will also weed out nut jobs and half asses.
I think we should make the Senators and the Reps jobs be lower paying. Make the job a $25,000 a year gig. No other 'payments' allowed. Unless of course it is because the man or woman chooses to take a second job!
This will get the people into office that are living the laws not putting them on a pedistal above them. Not to mention putting some one in office that will make the laws for all the people, not just the rich!
We need to change the rules about campaigning too. No multi-million dollars campaigns. No smear jobs. Put who ever has the signatures through a background check and then publish this check. You only push why you would be good for the job and what your background and abilities are.
Vote on who is best educated and able to do the job. Not on which party he's part of.
Of course this is just an Idea. It would need fine tuning I am sure.