I know you. I've seen you. You are the disgruntled American voter. You are the man or woman staring at your television, reading a roll call of Republican scandals and broken campaign promises. You are watching mudslinging attack ads from both sides each time the election cycle comes around. You are seeing a failed war, a botched Presidency, and a rubber-stamp Congress that has just been replaced. And you are asking yourself, "what should I feel about this?"
The first thing you should feel is disgust. But let me tell you why you should not do what disgust suggests, which is abandoning the political process.
I have never heard anyone in my presence utter the fateful words, "I don't vote, it only encourages Them." But all too often I have seen you, dear voter, express that very sentiment in your actions. You decide that politicians are corrupt, that Congress is useless, that the President is out of control, and that this is just how things must be.
The disgust you feel is directed at the office-holders. But have you conflated it with disgust at the office itself? Can "Congress" be corrupt? No! But individual Congressmen can. Can "The Presidency" be corrupt? No! But a President can.
A cynic might read reports of vote-tampering or election rigging and sigh, saying, "our society isn't working, because these things happen." I read such things and say, "our society is working, because we read about them happening." How much better off we are knowing what our problems are, and having a chance to correct them.
It is our duty to read, and act, and support the democracy we all enjoy. Your tax dollars can provide a variety of services that make your life easier or better. But no amount of tax money can ever give you good government. The only thing that can sustain a healthy democracy is a cynical body politic.
So the next time you feel disgust, use it! Write letters to the editor. Write to your Senators and Representatives. Make your voice heard. Remind people that people are in charge, in the end. Show people the disgust you feel, but remind them that it need not be so.
If we refuse to take responsibility for this country, if we say "that's just how it is, nothing can change it", then I promise you that we will get our wish.