Politics is a lot of things. I've heard it called annoying and a waste of time. Too many people claim "It doesn't affect me, but I'm still going to complain about what's going on while at the same time not bothering to vote." Then there are those ranging from cynical to paranoid conspiracy theorists- though to an extent not completely unjustifiably- who claim it's naive for the rest of us to think our actions like voting and protesting make a difference, unless of course, we have enough money and corporate power to buy a politician. We all know corruption exists. We all know sometimes very little does get done. However, people can and do change government. To show the beliefs that we can't change the government, it doesn't affect me and it's a waste of time are incorrect I need only one instance for each in which the contrary has happened. LGBT rights is making great headway, so looks like things are changing. If you work and pay taxes it affects you. If both these are true it's not really a waste of time. Nonetheless the entire process can feel frustrating and move too slowly.
Complaining is the only thing most of us do. But we should do more. It might sound dumb, but go ahead and write a letter. Vote too. And you know what else, run for office. Why not? Money? I could be wrong, but I think most of the money in campaigns go towards advertising like commercials and such. But to actually run I think there's really only a filing fee- though I've had some trouble finding it, so if you can let me know. Anyhow, we're not talking president, we're talking for a state senate office or something like that. But do the grassroots thing. Print some flyers and build a website. Say exactly what you think about issues people might find it refreshing. And if you don't get elected, don't take it personally, unless they're really mean to you on the Colbert Report. That might still be kind of cool though.
So why not? Go door to door. Have some friends help you get the world out, but plan early and plan well. Do you think you need some special training or education? You don't. Think about when our country was founded. Were there more scholars or farmers? Yeah, farmers and people with no formal education. An office was something that was meant to be simple so anyone with basic reasoning skills could do the job. And when something you have no idea about crosses your desk or the voting floor call in some experts for to ask for advice. If you really want to make a difference then go for it, not to mention it'll be a good conversation starter.
