Every morning as of recently I wake up and I turn on a cable morning news show to help me reach maximum sensory overload while I take part of my average morning routine. And every morning I am continually disappointed by the presidential election coverage. Not the amount of coverage the race is receiving but more the content of the coverage.

As a gainfully employed, home owning, urban dwelling, church going, 401K contributing, software engineer I am craving information about how any of the three dummies running for president can actually increase my quality of life and the lives of those around me. I'm concerned about my future. I'm concerned about my niece and nephews future. I'm concerned about my parents future.

What I'm not concerned about are things that I can see on any American Sitcom or Drama. Whose sleeping with who, whose stupid friend(s) is running off at the mouth, whose senility is getting the best of them while they try to remember events from 12 years ago.

Now I may sound like I'm complaining. So in order to be someone who acts (instead of someone who complains without acting) I've compiled a non exhaustive list of _suggestions— for alternative coverage on our current presidential race.

1. The economy
2. Tax reform
3. Education
4. Foreign policy
5. The environment
6. Unemployment
7. How our next president will bring our troops home
8. What our next presidents plan is for reviving the economy (different from #1)
9. What the next presidents plans for fixing our EXTREMELY broken health care system is
10. How our next president feels about net neutrality
11. WHEN the unconstitutional surveillance of US citizens will stop
12. How our next president plans to fix our countries PR problem with the rest of the world
13. What our next presidents plan is for lowering the national debt.
14. How our next president feels about decriminalization of medical marijuana
15. How our next president plans to address the telephone and cable monopolies.
16. How our next president plans to help single mothers who are gainfully employed actually feed their kids and provide a roof for them in a safe neighborhood.
17. What our next presidents views on immigration are
18. What our next president feels about lobbyist and how to fix lobbying in The District.

Is what I care about that much different from the average person?

I'd like to start off by saying that I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I can neither wholly embrace or wholly reject enough of either parties stances or beliefs to call myself one or the other. Heck, in recent years, I can't even determine whether our elected officials in either party can say they believe in their parties tried and true stances.

In recent years I have leaned towards the left in my voting record. But, looking back, I'm not really convinced that it was because the left offered me more alignment with my own beliefs. The more I think about it I feel like I've been leaning left because I feel like there needs to be a balance of some sort.

So with the 2008 election just months away I've started to consider the candidates from both parties and tried to figure out what I want from a candidate. And you know what. They're all crap.

Here's what I want from my elected president:

1. I want a president who wants to be out of Iraq and who has a plan on leaving Afghanistan.
2. I want a president that understands that I work hard for my money and that the taxes I pay should go towards governing and necessary government services. Not towards some ideological crusade that neither protects it's citizens nor helps its citizens be responsible members of the local and global communities.
3. I want a president that wants to make government smaller, the rules simpler, the country safer, its citizens more intelligent, and embrace diversity.
4. I want a president that wants to simplify and reform the tax laws.
5. I want a president that is interested in fixing the intellectual property problems we have in this country. I.E. US Patent Laws.
6. I want a president that values individuals more than corporations.
7. I want a president that envisions responsible social programs that help people when they're down but also help them rise from the ruins of being down and out.
8. I want a president that will get rid of the RIAA and all other evil organizations.
9. I want a president that understands environmental issues and how to better position US environmental policies so that my children and my children's children can have a safe planet to live on.
10. I want a president who is committed to breaking down the racial barriers that still exist in this country.
11. I want a president who is as committed to protecting my right to religion as he/she is in protecting my right to not practice or have religion forced on me.
12. I want a president that is able to understand that our current gun laws are not what the founding fathers had envisioned. And is committed to reforming our gun laws so that we all have freedom to bear arms and the freedom from fear of someone who has no place owning a firearm.
13. I want a president that is willing to tell the lobbyists that he/she is more concerned about the American peoples interests then the interests of corporations and businesses.
14. I want a president that is committed to my right to privacy and who doesn't want to take away my rights under false pretenses.
15. I want a president that isn't afraid to act on an issue.
16. I want a president that isn't afraid to admit when he/she is wrong.

These are just a few things that I would like to see in our future president. But the question is whether or not there is anyone out there that has the courage to take a stand and change the system.