We've never been able to contribute or convert due to the income limits but I don't really expect any sympathy for it.

No "sympathy" here (such problems one should have, [and I hope to have the same problem in the not-too-distant future]), but FWIW, one of the proposals being bandied about is to remove income restrictions on Roths altogether. Heck, the "retirement savings account" ("RSA") proposal would effectively make a "Roth" the only choice for retirement savings, increase the annual limit to 5K (adjusted for inflation every year), with no AGI limitation.

We'll see if it flies. Given fiscal and political realities, I doubt there will be much of significance re: further tax cuts.

Having said that, dropping any savings you intend for equities into an index fund (which generally are pretty tax-efficient) and then holding to get LTCG treatment is a decent option if you can't use a Roth.

-synchronicity, maxer-outer of Roths for as long as possible