Don't worry about the politicians in Washington. Washington is Versailles and you are "them" as in "Let them eat cake". They don't care about your problems and are only focused on themselves and what they can take from the rest of the country to keep the beautiful ball at the palace going.

Local politics are your best shot. You can actually talk to these people, meet with them, complain to them. They care about what local people say about them, and you are their means of getting reelected. They need you.

Washington is full of irrelevant politics. Here's a story about stirring up trouble with a foreign power to start a war in a country you've never heard of. Here's another about two politicians screeching at each other on TV and calling each other names. Here's one about who is sleeping with whom in Washington, oh the scandal!

But at home, the actions of a local government can matter, as can the actions of a single person. Put no energy into national news, turn off CNN and pick up your local paper. You can make a difference!