What in the World is Going on?

i attended the What in the World is Going on? in the I-House at 7pm today. it is a discussion that is help between honors and international students; they talk about a variety of subjects. today we discussed the government and politics in general. i dont keep up with politics enough to really have an opinion, plus it has only mattered for a few months what i think. one thing that did spark an interest was the fact that we as a Americans tend to sit around arguing about politics but we dont get up and try to fix it. if enough people came together about a subject, we could indeed make a difference. growing up i was always told, "griping and complaining will never solve anything, you have to get off your butt and do something about what is bothering you-my mother
another point was that 'parties' really dont help the government because they only cause conflict. they have become all about who is better and being loyal to your 'side', not the beliefs and actions of the candidate. people can always say what you want to hear...whether or not they will always act on that is the question.
i feel like i should probably keep up with the news a little better so that i can formulate an opinion on these matters.