Politics is something that always seem to come up, especially during election years. The further we are along in the election process, the more the chatter begins to grow. Some of us don't understand politics, and a lot of us have no idea why people are talking about it so much. Everyone seems to have an opinion about it, but are their opinions valid? Are we fully aware of what's going on?

Politics matter; the election matters. In fact, politics matter every day of our lives, even when it isn't an election year. No, not just Democrat or Republican politics, all politics; laws and government.

Politics affect everything that goes on in our country, in our state, in our counties, in our towns, and even in our schools. People think that because we don't see it happening right away, it's not doing anything, but it is! Thinking that politics don't matter is one of the biggest misconceptions we face as a nation. When you start thinking your opinion doesn't matter, is when it will come back and bite you. Our lives are how they are because of political decisions at the state level, and federal level. There are congressional meetings everyday about things that will impact us directly, but no one tunes in to listen. All too often someone will complain about the high amount of money that was taken out of his or her paycheck for taxes, but no one ever stops to think about where that money is going. Politicians can get away with lying and stealing because no one pays attention or holds them accountable. If you aren't happy with them, you have the power to vote them out of office, you also have a say in laws. Many people don't know that there are ways to contact your district representative to tell them your opinion on a bill or issue. A lot of us think that we can't make a difference, but we can. The country is we the people, not we the government; if everyone prioritized politics and took more action, we could help make our country exactly how we want it.