The next 2 years.

As much as everyone seems to be all abuzz about the election results, I (for one) am having difficulty finding any momentous emotion. the past 20 years have seen the continual ebb and flow of the parties, often to similar extremes. But what has really been accomplished? We are now done with another season of mudslinging ads, which tell us NOTHING about what the candidate actually believes. We are done with another season of having our intelligence insulted by idiots who truly believe that one sound-byte from 10 years ago, taken completely out of context, matters. We are done with another season where the 2 combined candidates wasted 20 million dollars on ads telling us how fiscally irresponsible their opponent is. Pffft. All lies. All political manuevering to get where the candidate wanted to be: in power. This election, more than any election in my life, has left me feeling that our government is out of touch...possibly beyond repair. Our government has become an elitist class all its own: making rules as it sees fit, excluding itself as it sees fit, raising taxes to play its games, just as it sees fit. In the mean time, this is all done with our lives and our money at stake. If they fail...oh well. They can go back to their million-dollar homes and retire with their fat government pensions and their own non-public healthcare programs, because they are now a retired elitist.
I have no faith that the new congress will do any more than the last congress... or the one before that. Sure, some signature bills and discussions will take place, to make themselves look so busy and all-important to their constituents...but I have little belief that anything will happen on capitol hill that is outside of the norm. Republicans will say that they want to be fiscally conservative, but continue to spend money. Democrats will say that they want to be socially progressive but support more measures to take away personal choice. And each will blame the other for stopping their *real* agenda...conveniently.
To me, the power of this election stands within the states. many states now have new governors...and many incumant governors were awakened by surprisingly close elections. Both are products of a constituency that is tired of political shenanigans.
The governors need to exercise their power. It takes only 37 governors' support to hold a constitutional convention. One needs to be called. Then the following changes need to be brought to the table:
1. congress shall pass no law that does not apply, in its entirety, to congress as well. Likewise, congress shall pass no law that applies to congress without it also applying, in its entirety, to the american citizenship.
(get these guys to have to live by the same laws/standards that we do, and things will change. make them retire on medicare and social security, and those programs WILL get fixed.)
2. Congress shall pass a balanced budget every fiscal year. Once the budget is approved, no bill/law can be presented/signed without it being budget neutral. Any unexpected budget deficit comes out of congress' salary and benefit package, first. If, after exhausting all monies there, the bill/law is still in defecit, it is shelved. In times of crisis, such as wartime, the senate can bring the budget to popular vote by a 60-vote super-majority. Budget over-ride is for one fiscal year only.
3. Included in the balanced-budget amendment is the necessity to pay down at least 1% of any outstanding national debt every year.
4. The federal government will pass no law requiring its citizens to purchase a product/service.
(this is really already implied in the 10th amendment. State's should have the right to govern themselves. The federal government should have no right to force its citizens to purchase a product (e.g. healthcare) and tax its citizens for said product, and then pass on the financial burden of the program to the state and its citizens. Let states develop their own programs.)
5. No federal government official or employee can accept lobby-money, gifts, or special treatment. (this, in the real world, is called a bribe...it's illegal)
6. Election reform: No political advertising may mention or allude to a candidate's opponent, with the exception of a documented voting record. If a voting record is mentioned or alluded to, the candidate paying for the policial ad, must pay for equal time, immediately following thier ad, for their opponent to defend their record. All monies contributed to candidates must be completely anonymous. Companies, organizations, or the Press can not publically endorse a candidate.
7. No political candidate may serve more than 2 consecutive terms. If the candidate wishes to return to public service, he/she must have been out of public office for 2 consecutive terms.

Ok...7 easy things that would change the political playing field.
...but it's just my opinion...