It's going to be one of the few times in history that we end up with both parties having to *really* choose a candidate in their primaries. Both sides are wide open. The Republicans are divided into many factions still.. the Bush-people are opposed by many, but also have a strong following. Democrats are also divided and lack a party-wide game plan. Nobody has a clue who will actually run in 2008 and even less so who will get each parties nomination and even less who will actually be elected to the office of President. The makeup of Congress is uncertain and what the Supreme court will act like in the next 6-10 years is also uncertain.

Despite all these uncertanties I know one thing for sure - it's going to be a bad election for me. All those who have a chance of being elected don't share my beliefs at all and most of them are pro-draft/pro-war.

In 2008 the issues will be:

• Our poor economic situation - our federal budget and out of control year after year deficits
• Who we will bomb next
• Energy policy

Not necessarily in that order.

Economic situation

Will suck. We've had record deficits for the entire length of the Bush years and it's not getting better in the next two. Why should Bush care? He's got nothing to lose and nobody to make look bad.
The debt will be massively huger than it is today.
Inflation will continue to rise at extremely dangerous rates (ok any at all sucks, but this will be even worse).

Who will we bomb?

Oh so many choices. Iran? North Korea? China? India? Pakistan? We'll do it to somebody though. Osama isn't caught yet either.. we'll probably end up with another terrorist attack on the US because we're too ignorant to understand that all they want is for us to get the fuck out of their country.

Energy policy!

Is a necessity when you kill all the people who supply you with your major energy source and kill off market forces that would innovate and come up with something better.

None of the people who have a chance at making it into the presidential office next:

• Plan to decrease the size of government
• Will balance the federal budget
• Plan to let the market run its natural cycle and instead will make government try to artificially make the situation better
• Plan to get us out of Iraq and the rest of the Middle East
• Are extremely anti-draft
• Are anti aggression-based-war
• Think that the PATRIOT Act and other supposed anti-terror acts of government are bad ideas
• Think that it would be a good idea to leave the Middle East and let the market back home develop alternate energy technologies

A few candidates are blatantly pro-draft. All of them have at least one new agency addition or social program they want to add to government. Several are tax raisers.

It is not the fault of the candidates, but the fault of all voters in this country. We will continue to seek supposedly quick remedies for long term problems and continue to make even longer term problems for generations to come.

My freedom, my money and my life all rest in the hands of the next person in office. All are threatened by whomever makes it into office. For whom will I vote in 2008? If you really wanted to talk about what a wasted vote is it's voting for someone who will take your life, your money and your freedom when you have the opportunity to vote otherwise.