I agree on the national level, but I very much agree with the local angle. People come in here and gripe and complain about every little thing, and then don't go out and do anything about it in places where you absolutely can make a difference.
I attended my local caucus this year, and had an affect on what things our district brought forth as agenda items to add to the state platform. I guess I was surprised that the fringe elements had such a strong voice in how things are done and shaped - I shouldn't have been, but I was. I ended up sounding pretty conservative in my democratic district caucus, trying to steer common sense into some pretty ridiculous (IMO) proposals. For instance, one woman wanted to put forth a proposal to extend the existing light rail project throughout the entire state. THE ENTIRE STATE! Every nook and cranny covered, so a person could hop on the rail in one area and ride it wherever they wanted. The young liberal who I'm sure will be running for office soon jumped on that one and said some things that were almost as ridiculous, and they started scripting it. I jumped in, asking them how they would pay for it - if they understood the overall cost of such an idea, would they be willing to cut other areas to pay for it that they currently support, would they want to pay twice as much in taxes, etc. A couple others in the group then spoke up, and we kept that idea off our sheet.
We also talked a lot about health care reform and plans, and some other things of local importance. I really came away feeling like I had a say, and that my commentary kind of centered the message and topics of my district. And it was great to see so many people out and actively caring about their state and national scenarios.
Doing this doesn't make me better than others, but it certainly gives me an understanding of the process, and helped out my outlook on what we as individuals can do in our own way. And I think it gives me a right to be more outspoken against others who just sit and complain about the process, the people, and others with differing ideas than they have. If you don't like liberal ideas, or conservative ones, get off your butt and try something different. You might be surprised.