BlackDynamite: "You'll never get money out of politics. Political power is about as pure as Lindsay Lohan's sheets. What's important is the integrity of the voting process. Keeping things like the Florida Presidential election scandal of 2000 from happening, and avoiding computerized voting, which are far easier to compromise."

We asked people to share their thoughts on money in politics, and we got lots of great responses. Thank you all who commented. Just wanted to highlight some of the reaction. Yes, this is an "overheard" post based upon an "overheard" post.

Overheard on CNN.com: 10 takes on money in politics

1. Standardize

Josh: "For the presidential race they should make it a criteria that they need to raise X amount of dollars (like $20 million) to run for president. If they can't raise that much money they probably don't have a chance of winning anyway. That is the only campaign money they can use. If a candidate is caught using funds from other sources they are disqualified from the race. Also, the budget should stay smaller. The candidates need to show that they can spend money efficiently in their campaign, not just reach back into their bottomless pot of gold and bring out more."

2. Keep things the same

R.L. Name: "Citizens United was a great decision. Speech must be free, no matter the source, period. The idea that the government should manipulate what speech people see or hear in order to "improve" elections is based on the idea that the voters are just drooling idiots who do whatever they are told. I reject that. Voters can handle it. They have full access to any info on candidates, in newspapers or the Internet or debates, they want. If they don't go looking for it, that's their fault, not the fault of money. Voters have 100% control over who is elected. Money has no power and elects nobody."

3. Spend the money elsewhere

Dave Des Moines: "I read about how good preschools and mentoring programs for our youth goes a long way in terms of future returns. They say it is easier for a younger person to pick up a second language, like Mandarin Chinese, the earlier the age. In the meantime, places around the world are teaching English to their kids at these early ages. They teach them math and science, as well. We are toward the bottom when it comes to STEM education. We say it is a national security issue for us not to know a few important languages or not know STEM. Then why are we spending so much on super PACs? How many teachers and mentors could have been hired in place of this money? It is a sad state of affairs."

4. Everybody contribute

George: "I think some of the people commenting misunderstand the problem of funding election campaigns through private donations and having unlimited funding. The issue is not that money buys more advertising on TV and therefore gives one candidate an unfair advantage over the other. That is a concern, but the much bigger problem that arises from the funding of election campaigns from private organizations is that it forces politicians to sell themselves to the highest bidder so that if elected they stop doing what is in the best interests of all of the American people but instead do what is in the best interests of the people/groups who funded their campaign. There is serious corruption at the very heart of our democracy and it needs to be stopped. All election campaign funding should be paid for by everyone in America. We should all contribute a small amount and then get to choose which candidate our small contribution goes to (or have it split evenly across the board)."

5. Focus on substance

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV: "We should never limit speech to solve this problem. What we should do it find ways to make campaigns and issues more about the substance of the issues and less about the image or the emotions that go with the issues. If you increase how substance of the issue effects the process then a politician will be influenced less by this money."

6. Fix the debt

Car: "Gee here is a novel idea...instead of individuals or corporations donating to a political campaign – how about giving it to or matching the donation to the national debt!"

7. Free equal time

Scott: "And we wonder why our country is in the plight it is. Money controls everything now, which is why the divide between classes continues to grow. As long as this continues, things will just get worse. Equal FREE Time for all candidates on all major stations/newspapers. Preliminary election removes the pretenders from the contenders. Our process is out of date with current technology and out of step with the country. No more two party system, no more 'He who has the most money wins.' Who knows, we might actaully get a candidate that wants to help the country, rather than a candidate that will have to repay favors..."

8. Take action

R Strimul: "I appreciate the sentiment about keeping money out of politics. But I find it hilarious that people think that it can be effectively regulated, or that the solution is a matter of controlling corporate money. Most people depend heavily on corporations for their information. This website is run by a corporation. Fox News is run by a corporation. Quit being played for a chump. Here is a little exercise for everyone who wants to improve elections. For 30 days before any of the elections you vote in this year, boycott every corporate financed source of information. No TV at all. No radio. No corporate websites. Nothing that has any kind of advertising. Have your family and friends do it too. I dare ya. Corporations spend money on politics for two reasons: it's effective and it has a great payback. You can change behavior when you are willing to do your part to stop the rewards.

9. Tax 501(c)(4)s

David Valentine: "Let's self fund elections. Tax political 501(c)(4) at 40%, and then distribute to candidates. If you run an ad, you pay. Require weekly reports,and tax payments, and no donations within 2 week of election."

10. Limit contributions

jack bowie: "Eliminate Super PAC. Set the maximum contribution at $5,000 for each person. Even if a person belongs to a group, he/she can only contribute $5,000. Equal playing field."

What do you think? Share your opinion in the comments area below and in the latest stories on CNN.com. Or sound off on video via CNN iReport.

Compiled by the CNN.com moderation staff. Some comments edited for length or clarity.

The federal sentence will run concurrently with his state imprisonment of seven years and three months, the judge ruled.

Harris-Moore gained notoriety – including 50,000 Facebook fans and a movie deal – for leading authorities on a two-year manhunt while eluding capture in stolen boats, cars and planes, often while barefoot, authorities said. He once left chalk outlines of bare footprints at one crime scene and was finally arrested in July 2010 after he was captured in the Bahamas.

Quite a debate was had on Thursday night ahead of the Florida GOP primary. Candidates sparred over a variety of issues, and the conversation was spirited both on stage and in our comments section.

On Romney's apparent air of dominance: Romney beats Gingrich at his own game

We saw our readers giving more praise for Mitt Romney after this debate than we have seen after other such events.

Phange: "Romney very clearly did what needed to be done yesterday. Not only did he make Newt look disheveled and decisively off-kilter, he presented himself as pragmatic and intellectual. With this being the last debate before the Florida primary, I think it's highly unlikely that Newt can recover in time to win the state."

sdpianomom: "One of my favorite moments; Romney praises his wife for her strength in battling cancer and MS. Then there's Gingrich, standing next to him, who cheated on his wives while they were battling those very same diseases."

Not everyone was buying what Romney was saying.

kinderlove: "Mitt is like a car salesman. Well rehearsed spiel. I'm not springing for the undercoat rust protection."

whocares45: "Mitt a car salesman, perhaps, but it is Gingrich who acts like a car buyer. He trades in his older model every six or seven years. Sorry Calista, the clock is ticking on you."

kinderlove: "I like Ron Paul."

mnmean: "I'll give you that Ron Paul is an interesting candidate. Rick Santorum is a whiny hypocritical mouth breather IMHO."

Thinking7: "Kind of like Obama who won the vote last election. Sad. It's the guys like Rick Santorum and Ron Paul who can do the job. They have the ethics and ability."

People also wanted to talk about the debates themselves as the weeks and months go by in this election season. Some were skeptical, but others have said the debates are important.

Amskeptic: "Can we please stop with the nail salon gossip? Is it really about tit-for-tat who-won-who-lost inane moments in the last of a series of nonsensical debates likened by one political analyst to a "goat rodeo clown show"? I see nothing in this article that helps the American voter make an informed decision of who is best qualified to lead the United States in perilous times. Does our media/journalist class have to pander to the lowest common denominator of your typical fifth grade lunchroom fight? Our country is foundering in a sea of incredible riches and enormous human potential, and these candidates are the best we can come up with? That is the newsworthy story right there. CNN could stand to up their game with more rigorous journalism and commentary."

P13: "In a way, yes, it is about that. The debates put potential presidents in very uncomfortable situations and demand that they think on their feet and maintain an air of authority and presence. I guess that could be called appearing presidential. It's not even entirely about what they say ... I mean, that's important too, although I don't believe we've ever had a president that stuck to everything he said during a campaign. But a lot of it's about how they appear; how they handle criticism and attacks. Obviously none of that's the end-all, be-all of whether a person will make a good president. But it's one measuring stick. People thought Rick Perry was a great candidate. He shot right to the top of the polls, until they saw him on a stage at the debates forced to explain his views and parry criticism."

Some of the issues discussed in the debate were especially relevant to Florida voters. We saw a lot of comments about NASA and the future of U.S. space exploration. Some were critical of Obama.

futon9999: "I live in Florida. What did Obama do that helped central Florida?! Nothing?  Ask NASA workers on the coast how the president helped them."

But then, a few of the more memorable comments referred to Newt Gingrich's ideas for a presence on the moon.

Time for a moon colony? Final florida push after contentious debate

SCDave: "I'm sure I'm prejudiced because my father worked at NASA, but a moon base wouldn't be a bad idea. Who knows what kind of mineral wealth lies there? Or advancements can be made like the ones the space program has already given us? Just saying. Not feasible right now."

opinion4: "I expect they will, state by state, pander snake oil to them with promises impossible to keep, much like one candidate's moon colony promise."

wishitbetter: "I wish Romney had asked Newt if he would recommend that Freddie Mac finance the housing on his moon colony."

Chainee: "If I had any faith at all that they would deliver on a moon colony, this raging liberal rocket scientist would switch my vote from Obama in a heartbeat."

skytag: "I think the moon colony is a great idea. We set it up and populate it with all the Republicans who want no government, no taxes, and know how to make it on their own with no help from anyone. Then we can check back in a couple of decades and see how it went."

Speaking of the moon ...

Paul and Santorum: Florida debate's most buzz-worthy moments

Ron Paul got some praise for his funny quips, one of them about said orbiting body: "Well, I don't think we should go to the moon. I think we maybe should send some politicians up there." Rick Santorum had some support from our commenters as well; CNN's analysts noted that he's shown a more forceful presence.

MEuRaH: "Ron Paul was hilarious. This was the first debate I enjoyed because everyone was on topic and didn't take too much time. I got to hear from everyone just about equally. I almost turned the channel early on when it was Newt vs Romney, but Paul and Santorum did a great job by getting the debate back on task. Paul's humor made for a great night overall. Best debate I've seen, great ideas from everyone, and I'm definitely pro-Paul now. he just seems more mature than the others, with great ideas, and a voting history to back it all up."

maff: "I gotta say that Rick (Santorum) looks strong. He is annoying sometimes, but that could be good in the oval office. I dont think he would bend or fold too often. I think he might try to really keep his promises. I say kick newt and romney out and let Paul and Rick battle it out. They are the only two that seem to want to stay on issues without distraction. Rick really picked apart Mitts healthcare plan by bringing up those mandatory fines...even if its only 8% of people. I also noticed that everyone was piggy-backing on what Paul had to say. No one really tries to challenge his credibility either."

toomanyviews: "Paul definitely 'won' the debate last night. He drew high applause from pretty much everything he said. Why can't people see he is the best choice? I mean, even Newt said Paul's been right for the last 25 years about what our monetary policy should be, and that's a huge deal since the other candidates don't take Paul seriously at all (did anyone else notice in response to Paul's answer to a question, Romney barely acknowledged Paul when "responding" to it?). This presidency is all about how we are going to deal with the money, so this should be the most important issue in which Paul has the best answers/ideas out of the pool."

Daddy5: "Santorum did great in this one. If I lived in Florida, he'd get my vote. He was passionate and articulate about real issues, not like the personal attacks that Gingrich and Romney kept pulling."

The Latino factor: VP Marco Rubio? The man in demand

When asked about which Hispanics they would include in their administration, Santorum suggested Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for a cabinet position, while Gingrich said Rubio might be more suited for a more "central and dignified" role. Our readers did not speak quite as kindly of the senator.

Guest: "Rubio is young and if he wants a political future, he best stay away from any of these candidates. None of these four remaining GOP candidates are worth hooking up your political wagon with as a running mate."

Guest: "What a joke, I am from Florida and Rubio has done nothing to distinguish himself here. Just why is he qualified for VP, because he is Hispanic (as am I)? I resent these panderers thinking Hispanics are too stupid to see through their pandering."

Meteorite: "Take it from this long-time Floridian. Rubio is just another politician and doesn't have any magical qualities that the rest of Washington doesn't have. He's another robot in the party ranks and he doesn't care one iota about the people below him on the ladder."

44Redhawk: "I cannot believe all the negative comments about Rubio. The man is brilliant, well spoken, and a true leader. I'm guessing most of you hardly know who he is."

GPastor: "Another slap in the face of Latinos by the GOP. To assume that Hispanic people only care about having a Hispanic on the Republican ticket to receive their votes. People of color in this country, and there are more than we know, are concerned about the issues that will give their families a better way of life. Their guy or gal, if Latino heritage, must be a strong leader as well. If a Latino was to become vice president on a GOP ticket, I would guess that he/she would not have a voice whatsoever in executive affairs."

What did you think about the debate? Who gave a strong performance, and who struggled? What moments were memorable? Share your opinion in the comments area below and in the latest stories on CNN.com. Or sound off on video via CNN iReport.

Compiled by the CNN.com moderation staff. Some comments edited for length or clarity.

Jurors convicted Joshua Komisarjevsky in October on six capital felony charges. The 12-member jury had recommended death by lethal injection on each of the counts.

The man convicted of being Komisarjevsky's accomplice, Steven Hayes, was sentenced to death in 2010. Juries convicted the pair on charges that they beat and tied up Dr. William Petit Jr., raped and strangled his wife, molested one of their daughters and set the house on fire before trying to flee.

Petit is the sole survivor of the attack that killed his wife and two daughters.

Dozens of athletes with torches gathered on the top of a darkened Buttermilk Mountain halfpipe in Aspen, Colorado, and wordlessly skied to the bottom as part of a tribute during ESPN's Winter X Games broadcast Thursday night. Many then embraced Burke's relatives, who were waiting at the bottom.

See the Denver Post's video of the tribute

Burke, a four-time Winter X Games gold medalist credited with getting women's ski halfpipe into the 2014 Winter Olympics, died January 19 as a result of a training accident nine days earlier.

Thursday's tribute on the superpipe was part of a seven-minute segment dedicated to Burke on ESPN. A 90-second video showed performance highlights and old interview clips of the skier.

Burke, at the Winter X Games in 2009.

"She was a superstar with the humility of a rookie," one of ESPN's hosts for the Winter X Games, Sal Masekela, said before the video was shown. "She is the reason that women’s ski pipe is at Winter X, and why it will be in the Olympics in 2014. So if you are looking for her legacy, you will find it in all the faces that you see here tonight, and all those that line halfpipes and come-down mountains around the world for years and years to come."

Burke, 29, reportedly fell while trying a trick and "whiplashed" onto her side at the superpipe at Colorado's Park City Mountain Resort on January 10, officials have said. She ruptured a vertebral artery in the fall, leading to an intracranial hemorrhage that caused her to go into cardiac arrest at the accident site, according to a statement released by her publicist.

She was taken to a hospital, where she was put on life support and underwent successful surgery to repair the artery – one of four major arteries supplying blood to the brain – the next day, according to the statement. But after the surgery, tests determined she suffered "irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest," the statement read.

People flooded Burke's Facebook page with messages of support after her fall and mourning after her death. A website raising money for Burke's medical bills, memorial costs and future foundation has raised more than $290,000.

X Games participants are honoring Burke with red "Celebrate Sarah" stickers on their equipment, and purple ribbons on their clothes, according to ESPN. And after Canadian Kaya Turski won Thursday's ski slopestyle gold medal - her third straight X Games gold in that event - she told ESPN that Burke was in her thoughts while she competed.

“I always looked up to Sarah. I always will look up to Sarah," the 23-year-old Turski said. "Before every run, actually, on my way into that first rail, I said, ‘Let’s do this, Sarah. I know you’re with me.’ She led me all the way.”

Burke, a native of Ontario who lived in British Columbia, was 11th in the Association of Freeskiing Professionals overall rankings last year. She won gold at the 2005 world championships in Finland and in 2007 received ESPN's Best Female Action Sports Athlete award.

The Winter X Games continue through Sunday.

The majority of the dolphins rescued during the "mass strandings" have survived and appear to be tooling about off the coast of Maine, according to a news release from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Rescuers put satellite tracking tags on six of the 24 animals that they have rescued and released since January 12, when rescuers began finding dozens of common and Atlantic white-sided dolphins along a 25-mile stretch of shoreline.

As many as 100 dolphins may have been stranded during the episode, 50 of which were dead when they were discovered, wrote IFAW senior program coordinator A.J. Cady earlier this week. Three of the dolphins with tracking tags died after being released.

"We're all exhausted, muddy and unsure what tomorrow will bring," Cady wrote Tuesday, "but rest assured, if more dolphins strand, we'll do everything in our power to rescue and release them into open ocean."

Experts are uncertain why so many dolphins washed ashore. Hypotheses include: They may have been caught in currents when they approached land to feed, a pod of dolphins may have stayed in the area to help a sick or injured dolphin or the topography of the Cape Cod coast may create areas that can trap dolphins.

You can watch an IFAW expert explain last week that this is a common occurrence between January and April and how rescuers go about saving the dolphins.

IFAW said that tracking data suggests most of the saved dolphins, some of which were released back into the water near Provincetown, were about 18 miles off the Maine coast Thursday, roughly 190 miles away. They "appear to be utilizing known offshore habitats for this species," the release said.

Brian Sharp, IFAW's stranding coordinator, said it was too costly to tag all the dolphins, "but by looking at the data from tagged animals we can hopefully get a picture of where the larger group may be headed."

"Right now, three satellite tags are still transmitting and signs for the remaining 21 dolphins are encouraging," he said in a statement Thursday.

IFAW experts said that while the data are good news, it's prudent to wait at least 21 days before deeming a rescue operation a success. The satellite tags are designed to drop off the animals after a few weeks.

One rescuer told CNN that this was only the second time in 15 years she had seen so many dolphins wash ashore in Cape Cod.

Holder said the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group will consist of more than 50 Department of Justice attorneys, analysts, agents and investigators around the United States.

Soldiers and security forces killed 135 people on Thursday and Friday, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition activist group.

The group said most of the people were killed in Homs and dozens also died in Hama and Daraa. CNN cannot independently confirm events in Syria because it is limited from reporting on the ground. Of those reported dead, 18 were children and eight were women.

In violence Friday in the Daraa province town of Nawa, 11 civilians died at the hands of pro-regime militias. The assault occurred during a funeral procession for a high school student whom security forces killed Thursday.

"The regime's forces encircled the procession and responded with intense gunfire which led to additional martyrs. ... (President Bash al-Assad's) security forces and thugs raided the private hospital in the town and attempted to kidnap the wounded," the group said. It said activist Bashar Abu al-Sal, popular for leading chants in demonstrations, was among the 11 dead. Dozens also were wounded, it said.

Seven bodies have been recovered and 20 people are reported missing, the Rio de Janeiro fire department said, according to the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse of a 20-story building and adjacent 10- and 4-story buildings on Wednesday night. Officials said they were investigating both the possibility of a gas leak and a structural failure.