I try to avoid talking about politics directly here. It can get nasty and that’s probably by design. Scott Burkun writes:

A government by and for the people includes your stupid neighbor, your weird cousin, the person with the religious beliefs you find absurd, everyone you stare at on the bus (or who stares at you), the people who own the company you work for and the ones begging for change on your way there. There is no way for a government by and for the people to function without frustrating most of the people in it in one way or another. It’s really a miracle it works at all and for as long as it has. Power changes hands in this country with surprising frequency and civilized grace, and for all its horrors and disappointments it is still a wonder to behold.

He’s writing in response to people (likely me) who complain about politics. I like to think that I don’t really complain as much as I avoid it like the plague because I hate the vitriol thrown by everyone – and from multiple sides. But that’s not to say I don’t pay attention and don’t have a point of view worth voicing. Thankfully, that’s not what he’s upset about. But he argues you get what you put in. The more active you are in the government – at any level – the more you’ll get out of it.

via swissmiss