I have found the perfect "filter" for determining who gets my vote in each election, and it's simple to follow.

If you want the job of Rep. Senator, Prez, etc., that immediately disqualifies you from consideration.  It also makes voting a snap, since there never seems to be anyone left over to vote for.

What we need to do is scrap this whole voting farce, and switch to a Draft mechanism, sort of like the old military draft.  No more political parties, no more incessant b.s. disguised as political speech cluttering up the airways.  Find some honest, decent, hardworking types who don't seem mesmerized by money or power, and force them to take the job for 4 years.  After that, they're out and we put in some other poor slob who doesn't want the job.  Call it True Public Service.

And shoot anyone who even looks like a lobbyist if they come within 50 miles of our new leadership.

JeffHarbin, I like the idea but who does the drafting? 

Many an honest person, seeking public office, runs about declaring that "politics is a cesspool"  until they get elected.  Six months later, after elected, they see politics as a Jacuzzi/sauna. 

As I have mentioned in other blogs, we need to somehow, get back to the way it "used to be". It is my understanding, and I'm no expert, that "in the beginning", Washington, Lincoln, etc, a person was limited to one term of any political seat. Then they went back to the "real world" had a job, paid taxes, and the like. When did that "rule" go by way of Suez Canal?  When did political office become a career?  Also, what IDIOT determines, a) what a CEO will be paid; b) what the "golden parachute" will be.

I might add, that I see our college and universities being run in the same way - how about some changes in that direction also?  Wonder why tuition, books etc are so high? Look to the upper echelon AKA administrators. BIG BUCKS, BIG PERKS. WHY should a chancellor get a free car, free home, expense money to run that car and home, money to give BBQ's and parties at that home, paid for trips (airlines, hotel, meals)? The salary alone should cover these expenses! MY salary has to cover MY expenses!

I really like the info and ideas posted here :-)  Adam, everybody gets a number (kind of like at Smith's bakery!) and that person gets the job (first person picked we'll ask the Pope to pick the number!) after that person's 4 years are up, then another number is picked - also kind of like bingo!!! i.e., C (Calif) #141; VA (Virginia) #5,000, etc.!!

I like it.  The only perk I'd give is living expenses (housing only) since they should have to live in the capitol to be near their job...efficiency you know.  They could set aside a bare needs apartment complex or barracks on the line of family housing on a military base.....no fancy homes unless they wanted to pay it themselves out of their pocket..

Oh, and a guarantee that they will have their job back when their "hitch" is up.  Just like the old military draft used to be.

Absotootely agree Nancy!!!!

Curt, you're on to something here...we're behind you.

Well, I guess the question is.............................how do the few who give a sh** implement a new process? There are many more who want the status quo (dems) and even more who now just don't give a rats behind (the ones who get freebies and bailouts.)

First and foremost, I urge every single person reading this to call, write or e-mail their elected representative and DEMAND the CEO's and executive management of Fannie-May, Freddy-Mac and AIG be hauled before a congress for a televised question and answer session.  (Under penalty of perjury of course).

They need to explain in the most exquisite detail how they were stupid enough to allow this debacle to happen.  Next, they need to provide full personal financial disclosure.  Not some namby-pamby shell game, - Full disclosure including their overseas assets.  

What is determined to be "excessive" must be immediately forfeited to the national treasury.  In the overall grand scheme of things, it won't really make a dent in the debt but it will make the next crook think twice. 

Folks, you need to get mad as Hell and you need to let your elected representative know you're mad as Hell and YOU want some answers - after all, we're paying the bill.

Here's a copy of my e-mail to Kevin McCarthy...

Dear Congressman McCarthy:

I cannot help but write to you to voice my outrage at our government bailing out Fanny-Mae, Freddy-Mac and AIG with little or no strings attached.   I ask you:

Why hasn’t the executive management of these corporations been immediately summoned to testify before a congressional investigative committee?

Through their incompetence, greed and malfeasance these corporate executives have indebted the citizens of this country to a degree never before imagined and as a result, we the citizens deserve to hear from them exactly how they managed to be so stupid.

Further, the personal financial information of these executives must be laid bare to the American public for examination.  If the compensation received by these executives is excessive or if malfeasance is evident, these executives must be made to immediately forfeit their compensation to the U.S. Treasury.

Congressman McCarthy, I believe in a free market system with all my heart and under ordinary circumstances, I would say whatever compensation an executive receives is between himself and the corporation. However, these greedy and incompetent mis-managers have caused irreparable harm to our nation and they must be held accountable for the damage they have causes our great nation.

I urge you to introduce legislation calling for complete disclosure to the American public prior to agreeing to this unprecedented taxpayer bailout.

Sincerely,

Curtis Dalton

This is in the NY Post. I did copy it from Michael Savage's web site. He has posted other articles regarding same.

LEHMAN 'ELITE' TO GET BIG CUT OF $2.5B PAY POT

By CYNTHIA R. FAGEN and MARK DeCAMBRE

Top executives at Lehman Brothers' New York office, who were at the helm during history's largest corporate bankruptcy, have been guaranteed the lion's share of a $2.5 billion bonus pot.

Lehman had "walled off" the fund, telling buyer Barclays Capital that it couldn't use the money for anything but severance payments or bonuses.

In bankruptcy court, British-based Barclays said it will use the cash to retain Lehman's most valued employees - particularly eight key directors.

Those "elite eight" also have been guaranteed $10 million to $25 million salaries for two years.

The most wanted include longtime execs Michael Gelband, the bank's global head of Capital Markets since June, and Eric Felder and Hyung Soon Lee, global co-heads of Fixed Income, positions both men were promoted to this month, the Sunday Times of London reported.

Gelband lives in tony Short Hills, NJ. Felder lives in a plush West Village pad and owns two Ferraris and a Land Rover, Department of Motor Vehicles records show.

The platinum payout will go to executives who rode the collapse of the nation's fourth-largest investment bank. In the past year, the company's stock price dropped from $68 a share to as low as 21 cents, and since June 2007, the bank has laid off 6,000 workers.

A Lehman spokeswoman denied that all the bonus cash would go to a few execs.

"It's absolutely untrue that the bonus pool is being reserved for a small number of people," said Monique Wise.

Some defended the bonuses, saying Barclays couldn't run Lehman without keeping top executives.

"It's unimaginable to me that they can run the business without people," said Lehman's financial adviser, Barry Ridings, of Lazard Ltd.

Barclays President Bob Diamond told The Times that the bonuses will be dispensed carefully.

"You can expect us to manage this with the same discipline and performance terms that we have at BarCap [Barclays Capital]," he said.

He asked all 10,000 Lehman staffers to show up for work tomorrow, although over the next three months, Barclays could ax thousands of them.

Felder, who spoke to The Post last night, declined to discuss any cushy payouts, but said that he would try to keep Lehman employees working.

"This is a tragic event for 26,000 people. The firm wants to make sure the people get jobs," he said. "We spent a tremendous amount of time trying to make sure as many people get jobs as possible."

The deal, which was worth $1.7 billion at the beginning of the week, may now be worth closer to $1.35 billion, which includes Lehman's Midtown office building.

cynthia.fagen@nypost.com