Politics...

I've never been big on politics. I do try to vote at each opportunity, and try to do so in a reasonably informed manner. I do still think that is important. However, the more I've tried to learn this year about the presidential race in particular, the more I remember why I've never been too interested in it. Honestly, part of me just sees it all as such a waste. Lots of what I've read makes me think we're looking to choose a high school who's who rather than choose a national leader. Everything always seems to come down to the different parties focusing on who can win (i.e. who is more popular) than who will do the best job. Doing a good job seems to have so little to do with it in picking someone. It's just who is more popular. The money it takes and the money raised and spent just really makes me sick. I think one month one of the big 3 raised over 30 million just in one month. All this while there really are so many in our country have so little. And not to mention people literally starving to death every minute across the world. What exactly is accomplished by all that money spent on stupid advertising that I personally could care less about anyway. How much lasting good could be done with all that money?

I know personally, and I bet for many of us, it seems like the main inspiration for voting is to choose the lesser of two evils when it comes down to it. We dislike one candidate more than we do the other so we vote against that one, rather than for anyone. Can I (anyone) really get excited about that? Is that what is supposed to make this such a great country? When did we learn to just settle for such mediocrity? How can we learn to demand more?