We live in a republic. A republic is democracy for lazy people. Being a proud American isn’t about putting a stars and stripes bumper sticker on your car or saluting the flag. To be a patriot, you simply have to be informed and occasionally go to the polls and vote.

There have been a series of transformative events for the U.S. over the last eight years – Sept. 11, Katrina, the economic meltdown. You may think that it might not matter who was president, but I give you something to ponder. How do you think Al Gore would have dealt with those crises? John Kerry? Or even John McCain if he was the Republican nomination in 2000?

While the presidency is the highest office in the land, there are other elections that will also have impact on your life. The White House might seem far away, but the local and state candidates are your neighbors and are easily accessible if you try. If you are unfortunate and have to go to court, do you want the judge you picked or the person someone else selected for you? Also, do you finally want to do something about taxes or even decriminalize pot or keep gay marriage legal? When you go to the polls, you also have the opportunity to directly make decisions about your state.

When you go to the polls, consider what issues are most important to you and investigate which candidate shares them. Ignore the diversions and distractions, investigate which candidate would do the most for you, your family and your country. Don’t simply accept the common perception of the candidates. Find out what they really stand for – not how they are portrayed by their campaign or by their opponent and their surrogates.

Politicians would love for us to become and remain cynical and apathetic. If we wash our hands of monitoring them, they would have free reign. Because if we are an informed populace that sees people not political parties and knows the facts not propaganda, then we have the power.

You may feel impotent, that you have no voice because you aren’t a rich donor .  To paraphrase Jim Morrison, “They got the funds, but we got the numbers.” The government derives its powers from us, the people as a whole.