To vote or not to vote - That is the question

I've always considered voting to be a true American privilege. And it is. It really is. I remember when I was old enough to vote in my 1st presidential election (Jimmy Carter & Ronald Reagan). I was elated! I'd be exercising my right as an American citizen. I'd be casting my vote, speaking my voice. I felt so patriotic. That was 29 years ago. (29?!) In recent years, I've lost my profound desire to put my vote out there. I feel like so many politicians are corrupt. It feels as if they could care less about the people who put them in office. Every time I turn on the news, both national and local...everytime I read the paper...I learn of so much corruption. It seems like many elected officials lean towards dishonesty. Why? Would our founding fathers be happy about how our government has evolved? I doubt it. I wonder how many honest, trustworthy elected officials exist in our country. I really do. Our city government is a far cry from truth and honesty. The city politicans are out for themselves...local voters be damned. They're going to do what they want to do no matter what. They aren't representing us. They're looking out for #1. I feel confused and angry. Over the years, it doesn't seem to make a difference. The candidates typically put on a good face. They say they have the solutions for the problems in our country. They have a plan. They know what's best for America (or our cities). In our last mayoral election, I didn't even vote. I know. UnAmerican. I just knew...without a shadow of a doubt... that my vote would not count for anything. The local citizens keep re-electing the same man - a man who has a track record of looking out for himself...everyone else be damned. It doesn't matter what the people want. It doesn't matter if we feel negatively about a proposal. Local opinion is pushed aside so that the mayor and council members can do exactly what they want. Period. Now how am I supposed to believe that my opinion counts? How does my vote figure into this selfish calculation? It doesn't. So why bother? With our 2008 presidential election, I have to admit that I, personally, am not "in love" with either candidate. I'm not on a band wagon cheering at the top of my lungs for either man. I don't really know what their detailed plans are for the country. I watched the presidential debate from Oxford, MS hoping to get specifics on each candidate's plan. All I heard was McCain and Obama talking in circles...for the most part. They were both poised and well-spoken. They just never answered, specifically, the questions. I can't even begin to imagine what being the president of the United States must be like. It terrifies me...the responsibility. What I do know is...I'm tired of what we've been dealing with. I voted for Bush both times. I thought he was the right choice and feel like his first 4 years were pretty decent. The 2nd term? Not so much. We're stuck in a rut. We're dealing with so many problems. The President and other elected officials haven't made much of a difference. It's like we're on a sinking ship. We should be bailing, bailing, bailing so we don't sink to the bottom, but our efforts aren't getting us anywhere. It's as if our pails have holes in them. We're trying to bail and stay afloat but with those holes in the buckets...forget it. We'll slowly go down. Will the new president really be able to fix the holes? Will he really be able to restore balance and safety? I don't know. I just don't know. Do I vote for the older, more "experienced" man? Do I take a chance on youth, inexperience? Do I vote for the same old Republican way? Or do I give the Democratic way a chance? Do I vote for one candidate to hopefully protect a woman's right to choose? Do I vote for the candidate who will work with the FAA to make the air traffic control system better...more fair? Do I vote for the candidate who protects the right to bear arms? Will either candidate really change foreign policy? Health care? The country's financial problems? Is it even possible to change? To make things better? To make things fair? Will either candidate really, really, really listen to the American people? I'm tired of the rhetoric. I'm tired of the same policies....that don't make a difference. At all. I think it's safe to say I'm jaded. I'm skeptical. I'm afraid. I'm uncertain. I'm angry. I'm sad. I want to know - WITHOUT A DOUBT - that something good will come out of this election. I want to know that positive changes will occur. I want to know that the new president will step out there and be 100% honest. That he means what he says and he'll follow through with it. Is that too much to ask? To expect? So I find myself in this place - for the moment - where I'm asking myself...do I vote? Do I not vote? Will my voice make a difference at all? Can I put my vote out there knowing that something good will come of it? Right now...this minute...I don't feel confident in that at all. I'll have to watch the remaining debates and gather even more information. Hopefully, I can find something in all of the talk to give me hope for our country...for our future. To vote or not to vote. That is the question.