I have a friend who did not bother voting in last week's election. I asked him why.
He started talking about the slaughter of the children at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
He said that after that terrible incident, everyone was taking about the fact that "something had to be done".
But nothing was done about it in Congress, he said. "Even after the killing of innocent children, Congress could not pass anything in response".
He went on to say that he feels that Congress is simply unresponsive to the wishes of the voters. I did nothing but listen to him, because there was hurt and disappointment in his voice. He went on to say that that he did not vote because it did not make a difference, that Congress is deaf to the desires of the American people. I will talk to him about this at a later time, but that was not the time to engage in a political discussion.
I talked to a few other friends. Some of them voted, some of them did not. I did not mention the discussion I had with my friend. I did ask them one question though: "Do you think that Congress listens to the wishes of the American people?".
They all answered "No or "Sometimes"".
You can take these responses for what they are worth. But I see a problem: perhaps people don't vote because they see Congress as unresponsive to their needs, wishes, and ideas. They perhaps think that members of Congress don't care.
Now I believe that there are some members that DO care. But to those who don't follow politics closely, I fear that Congress is leaving a bad impression.