Who speaks for me?

I was pondering the current political crisis (scandals, bribes, etc) and was thinking that the only thing different about what happened was that they got caught. Now they'll all be careful for a few years and take their bribes from more trusted sources.

When I vote this year, I have to think about who is speaking for me. The Republicans speak for big business, drug manufacturers, oil companies, the NRA, Christian conservatives, and anti abortion nuts. The Democrats speak for unions, teachers, minorities, the elderly, and the disadvantaged. The problem is that I don't fit in either of these groups. Now, some may complain that my list is simplistic - sure. Republicans support teachers too, right? Sure, but teachers vote Democratic because Democrats are more likely to give teachers more money while Republicans are more likely to push extra requirements and not fund them. (Take the "No child left behind" law.)

Six years ago we elected an oil man to the presidency on the assumption that he'd continue to give us cheap oil. Instead, we got someone that ensured that oil companies make a hefty profit and I'm reminded of it every time I fill up my little car.

I want a third party and I want them to take the following platforms.

- The internet should be neutral. I don't want companies being taxed for preferential treatment. Both the companies and the consumers pay for internet access. If I pay for 384K, that's what I want. I don't want someone in the middle blackmailing Google for more money and only provide 28K until they pay up.

- Cable and satellite should be a-la-cart. Why do I pay for a package of useless channels? I don't watch ESPN and its derivatives, yet I have to subsidize those channels and all the other crappy channels for the few we watch. Let the channels live and die based on whether people are willing to pay for them. If they want to provide "packages" to consumers, that's fine, but don't force us into a package.

- Balance the damned budget. I'm not allowed to run large deficits in my household, neither should the government do it on a regular basis. There's a group of people getting ready to retire and we're going to need all the money we can get to pay for their retirement.

- Increase CAFE standards. I want smaller cars made available. Smaller cars are bigger than they used to be. I want one that gets 50 mpg. Add large trucks and SUV's to CAFE. If people want them, they can still get them. Most of my time is spent in a car by myself. Can't they sell a car catered to one (or two) people that gets decent gas mileage?

- I want a government that understands that global warming is occurring. The majority of scientific evidence seems to indicate that this is the case. Until proof exists otherwise, we should be taking steps to correct this.