I think there's a broad impression that a lot of what happens in politics is beyond people's control.  That they show up every 2 years, check off some boxes and end up voting for a candidate they don't really like but hate less than the other guy.  That, at the end of the day, our Democracy is only about a few minutes spent every couple years signing off on our government.

In school we're taught about how our government works.  We're taught about elections.  We're taught about the revolution that lead to our government.  It leaves one with the impression that the only expectation of a good citizen is to show up to vote and, if things get bad enough, to pick up a gun and overthrow the government.  What isn't ever mentioned is how much we can do inside the guts of the political process that really has an effect on things.

Yesterday I went to canvas for the Dan Seals campaign.  Basically me, and another person were assigned a precinct and then we were charged with going around and knocking on doors.  We'd introduce ourselves, and then simply see who they were supporting in the election.  I got a whole spectrum of responses from intense apathy, to somebody who volunteered on the spot to help our candidate get elected.  The most interesting experience I had though was talking to an undecided voter.

Now, most of the undecideds I talked to mostly gave me the sense that they'd decided but didn't want to talk about it, or just didn't care about the election in general.  However, I talked to one person who wanted to know what Dan's position on immigration.  I had a really great conversation with the guy and apparently he immigrated legally and started working here harvesting asparagus.  Today he has a nice house in the suburbs and seems to be going quite well for himself.  In the end, I think, after our discussion, he's going to vote for Dan. 

So maybe my vote here in Chicago doesn't matter for much.  Maybe I'm just signing off on what the machine has handed me and casting a proud vote for Obama.  But with a little time and effort I got at least one person to vote for a good candidate who might not have done so otherwise.  The more time and effort you are willing to commit, the more that you can have an influence on our country's future.  It's that simple.

So if you find yourself disappointed with out government, rather than pulling out and saying you don't matter, I recommend the exact opposite.  Get deeply involved.  Find a candidate you like and put in a few hours to help them win an election.  You will have more influence than you'd have if it was just your single vote.