Now its time for some serious stuff

First, congratulations to Senator Obama and the democrats for their historic election victory. I wish them well in the coming term.

But seriously, isn't it about time our nation "fixed" the national elections? Weren't any of you a teensy bit embarassed by one or more aspects of the process? I was. Here is a list of what made me uncomfortable:

1. The whole thing took too long
2. Too many candidates dropped out early, restricting later choices
3. The primary process gave too much weight to a few voters
4. The two party system restricted the development of minority points of view
5. Some qualified voters were not registered to vote, some unqualified voters were registered to vote, some qualified registered voters were not permitted to vote and some unqualified voters voted. The registration and voting process has become too politicized, and there is no real system in place to fix it, nor do politicians seem to care
   
6. The news media had too much influence on the outcome
7. The polling industry had too much influence on the outcome
8. News media coverage may have [once again] lowered some voter turn-out numbers in western state elections

I'm planning on discussing each of these points - and might even add to the list - in the days and weeks ahead. Stay tuned.