My advice on how to vote
The most important requirement: must swear on everything considered holy and/or important to not spend my sons' money. On anything.
We have the weaponry to destroy the world many times over; we don't need to add to that.
My sons can't afford to help corrupt or inept CEOs retire. When I retire, I'm on the hook; nobody's going to bail me out, if I can't manage something on my own, I'll end up on the street. Why should they be any different?
Sure, we need to update infrastructure, etc. - but if any politician robs Peter to pay Paul, that's a bad politician. I'm looking at you, Mr. Current Administration and Current Congress.
The national debt must be reduced. It's doubled in the last decade; this is inexcusable. We elected the current congress out of anger at Bush, and then Congress went right ahead and did the same things.
Unbelievable.
Second requirement: must promise not to run for more than two terms.
I'm ambivalent here - I understand that some things need longevity in office. Short terms mean that a given officeholder tries to "make things count," to do a lot while they're there. But...
At the same time, a lot of the problem is the same old morons we've had in Congress. It's like once you're there, you become a freakin' retard. So I say: promise to limit the exposure!
I care about abortion issues, ethics, taxes, health care, all of this... but a candidate who refuses to spend any money on anything can do far less harm than, well, the other kind. I'd prefer a candidate who promised not to do anything at all - on the assumption that a good politician is one who does no harm, but that simply won't happen.
Lacking any guarantees on these promises, I'll just vote for the challenger, in every case. If a candidate has "incumbent", that's a black mark.
To me.