PICK A PREZ

It seems as if the presidential candidates have been campaigning since early last year for an election that's still 11 months away. Maybe that's because they have. But with the primaries and caucuses upon us the time is nigh to start seriously considering to whom we will give our precious vote.

Here at sponsible, environmental concerns, along with human rights, healthcare, education, foreign relations and employment issues, are high on our priority list when it comes to picking a candidate. The environment is after all our lifeblood, and without it we wouldn't be voting at all.

Grist and AlternativeEnergy.com have teamed up to present us with a comprehensive survey of all the leading presidential contenders' positions on the environment. Interestingly, the viewpoints of the candidates within the two major parties don't vary so much as do the party positions themselves. Almost to a man (and woman), the Democrats show a relatively strong stance on issues such as raising CAFE standards and supporting alternative energy projects while the Republican candidates show less commitment in these areas.

We encourage you to read through the entire list and do your research on a variety of issues before handing your vote to a candidate. Maybe even more importantly, we ask that you exercise your right to vote, in both the primaries and the general election, and that means on the various proposals that will share space on your ballot with the candidates. The 60% rate of voter turnout that we usually see in presidential elections is far too low, especially now, when so much is at stake.

Tomorrow sponsible will be making its endorsement for the next President of the United States of America. We'll give you a hint as to who it may be for now though: Our candidate is not a member of the Republican Party. Big surprise, huh?

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

John Edwards and Bill Maher talk the North Pole and ethanol.