Shallow sniping, sniveling, whining, hand-wringing and crying foul is a disgraceful, highly disturbing, way to drag out the end of a presidential election. Surely, the country has endured enough back-biting, bitterness and deceit from the Clinton administration, the bungled impeachment, and the inept Republican Congress.

But the cliffhanger for President stirs more than superficial concerns and questions. The political spectacle in Florida, careless news hype and the obsolete 12th Amendment (electoral college) strike out at the heart of the Constitution, the republic and our so-called representative democracy.

America is better than this...

Contentious politics and the two-party system have reached the pinnacle of arrogance by fomenting age, race, gender, class and cultural warfare at the ballot box. That's not democracy, it's simply hateful demagoguery.

Demonizing any third party presidential candidate as a threat to the partisan elite is clear and convincing evidence of the divisive threat the draconian two-party system poses to democracy in America. Alas, the sovereignty of the people will continue to erode unless we turn government by consent into self-government by participation.

America can do better than this...

Suggestions include replacing the two-party and electoral college systems with nonpartisan direct democracy by means of secure voting networks connected to voter's homes. Wouldn't it be better to select and elect highly qualified nonpartisan professional government managers instead of being forced to choose between two pre-selected professional politicians who are only in the game for personal power, influence and a legacy?

Wouldn't it be nice to be neutrally and truthfully informed for a change? It would be even better to be able to point, click, check and change our votes before making the most important decisions of our lives. Best of all, we could break down the manufactured barriers between us. Then we could work for mutual understanding and cooperation for the common good, with common sense.