Politics

I think your're living in a fantasy world if you think voting for anyone can affect how the government works. Politicians are figure heads. The people who actually do the decision making and get things done are the civil servants that work in each political office. Have you noticed politicians will bend and change their minds depending on what group is talking the loudest? Politicians are in office for a few years while the servants are there for many years. If you really want an inside look at how it works (and have a few laughs) watch a British show called Yes Minister (or Yes Prime Minister) It's a real eye opener and is quite close to the truth.

I think this is perhaps the wisest discussion I have seen here in a while. You have hit the nail right on the head. This country will never change much if all we can do is vote on one or the other monkey that they allow us to vote on. The lesser of the two evils was so apparent to me last vote, I was going just to vote against Kerry, the greater evil. Such a shame........

Every person has the power to affect change. It may not be on a global scale, but every action a person takes, be it to educate, aid, defend, or challenge can make a difference. You may be one brick in the wall, but without your voice there is one less brick, one less voice heard. If Americans were "empathetic" (I think you meant apathetic here but am going with what you wrote) we would never go to war, we would never deny equal rights to others, we would never permit the war crimes our administration commits, and we would never judge others. Empathy is to feel what the other guy feels.. to understand through experience. Many Americans are hoodwinked, apathetic, brainwashed, or too afraid of standing against the crowd/powers that be and most would not recognize they were only choosing between the lesser of two evils. My political blog is at http://silvaspoon.blogspot.com/ if you are interested.