Regarding US Government

This isn't a new or unique sentiment that I'm expressing here, but there is something seriously wrong with our country. Granted, there have always been problems of one sort or another, but the founding principles which led this nation to greatness, which have been emulated (to one degree or another) in countries across the world, are being ignored by our own government. Our current president has, of course, many times shown his disdain of the Constitution; how he has handled the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is but one of the most recent examples. But it's not just our president. Congress has pulled plenty of shady moves lately; this is no new thing, but it's been blatant beyond anything done before. Our court system likes to take power unto itself and basically write laws—which well exceeds its boundaries—but at other times it refuses to even do its actual job, as in an ongoing case regarding copyright law. Who watches the watchmen?

My feelings on these issues run closely with those of the authors linked to above, so I shall not rant much here. (I will note that I do agree with copyright laws in as much as they protect authors during the course of their lifetime and until members of their immediate family reach the age of majority or some such, but the ruling maligned in that article allows for works in the public domain to become private once more. There's no need for that. Copyright, back off. Get your slimy tentacles away from me.) This situation is beyond ridiculous, and getting worse. Our country needs to return to the principles our Founding Fathers used to establish it. I truly believe they were divinely inspired when they created the Constitution, though the government cannot function properly with the rogues that dominate it now.

Thankfully, many Americans have realized the direness of the situation to one degree or another; I'm fairly sure that the Democrats will lose much of their power in the upcoming elections. Unfortunately, I must admit that I'd be surprised to see much real change under the Republican party either, not a change towards a smaller Federal government that actually abides by the laws meant to govern it. I don't particularly care for politics—I'm certainly not ready to sully myself enough to make a real difference by running for public office—but we need to get more good people who actually care about this country and what it should stand for: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Local government does matter. All of us need to be more participatory, which means that I need to do more than I am wont to do. There is a lot of work to be done, and we can't depend on anyone else to do it.