I hate politics, yet follow it faithfully. I understand that our democracy works because individuals can get on a public stage and brag about all they have accomplished and all they plan on doing, just so that the voters know who best represents their interests.

It’s like a bragging game in which the one who has the most to say, that offers the best package, wins. That person may not be the best for the smooth operation of our government, but the process has to play out.

There are those who choose not to vote as protest against the candidates, but that is dumb. Whether or not we like an individual, we have the right to mark a box for or against. Even if the one we wanted to be there is not.

This season is rampant with braggarts and bullies and haves. There are never any have-nots running for office as it takes tons of money to do so. If this is true, then none of the candidates truly represent the vast majority of Americans. None of them come from homes where food was not always plentiful and sometimes bills had to be postponed. None of them understand the life of everyday Americans, yet there are dupes who think they do.

Politics is about convincing voters that the candidate will do something for us that no other has ever done. I heard one individual from a small town saying that he was voting for a certain braggart because he knew that the candidate would reopen the bowling alley, the only entertainment in town.

I’m sorry to say, but that guy is sadly disillusioned. None of the candidates are going to reopen bowling alleys or rebuild theaters or give money to small restaurant owners. None of them are going to bring manufacturing jobs back to America as long as the minimum wage continues to rise and labor costs less overseas.

And what is even worse, as we’ve seen the last seven-plus years, is that Congress is so polarized that nothing gets accomplished. Every single incumbent thinks with the ballet in mind. Getting elected the next go-round. He/ She does not vote with Americans in mind. That we need roads rebuilt and strong education systems and jobs that offer dignity and housing to shelter our growing numbers of homeless.

None of them will do anything about the proliferation of guns because the organization that supports gun ownership has too many politicians in its pocket. Or at least in the gun sights.

I may be disenfranchised, but I still vote because it is my constitutional right to do so. If I didn’t, then I would have no right to complain about whoever wins, especially if the least objectionable of the options loses by a narrow margin. That would be my fault and the fault of every last person who fails to submit a ballot.

American politics may be a mess, but it is the best that we’ve got. This is still a democratic country where our rights are protected. We cannot let a few demigods strip away the rights that we’ve fought so hard to get. We cannot let the rich play with our money without considering the needs of the majority of Americans. We cannot let the government stay at a standstill just because politicians think with their pocketbooks.

So, get out and vote. For someone who represents what America stands for. Equality. Safety. Freedoms.