Maybe it's just me, maybe it's just the people I hang out with or, maybe it's just the town I live in. Maybe it's all of that and more.

Really I don't know what it is, but it seems that here, in Tallahassee, in Florida, or maybe in all of America, we have the worst politicians – note I said 'politicians', not leaders, we don't quite have militant dictators, which would be worse – and the worst citizenry.

I don't mean to say that every single American is a horrible, violent, grotesque person but when it comes to politics it seems more of us are satisfied with complaining than actually doing anything to change things.

Take local politics in Tallahassee, for example. It seems that there is an endless list of grievances the citizens have with our currently elected leaders. Surely those leaders – who were elected by the upset citizens – would realize they were not fulfilling their obligation to adopt policies in the taxpayers' best interests. To satisfy the majority, if you will. Likewise, you would think that the taxpayers would realize that those who are doing a poor job should be replaced. But by whom? Certainly not any average individual can simply run for local office, right?

Right- to do that takes a considerable amount of money, time and dedication. Some people don't have the money to spare, others are far to busy on a daily basis, and still others simply don't concern themselves with all of the issues and would therefore not be dedicated to serving the public.

Yet all these people – the same people who vote the same men and women into the same positions term after term after term after term after – find the time and the dedication to complain almost without pause about the poor job performance of the officials who get taxpayer-paid salaries.

So why is it that no one really makes any effort to change things? There are plenty of ways to make a point without putting forth the large sum of money, the constant demand for time, or the dedication to each issue that running for office requires. Protesting, showing up to public meetings, demanding more open government (to make sure the meetings are public), posting yard signs – even if there are no official yard signs for the issue at hand, make on yourself. Even something as simple as having open, intelligent conversation about an issue with anyone and everyone you talk to on a daily basis can do a lot.

So, as long as we're on the subject of people changing things, we might as well talk about what a prime example the Democratic Party's nomination for President is of the problem I just described.

Here we are, at the fall of what a majority of Americans consider to be the worst Presidency in our history and the Democrats have finally found a "change we can believe in".

First off, let me start by saying: everyone, Republicans, Liberals, Fascists, Socialists, everyone (sometimes including Democrats) make fun of the Democratic Party. Why? It's simple. Lately, they have become nothing more than a joke.

While most Democrats will never believe it, it's true. The Republican Party has gotten stuff done. A lot of stuff. In fact, since Jimmy Carter left office, the Republican Party has been making a lot of progress (well, they call it progress, some others see things moving in the opposite direction). The Democrats got a little bit accomplished, but for the most part they have been sitting on their hands, letting the conservatives play in the sandbox.

Even with the Democratic-controlled Congress, more conservative-based legislation has passed than liberal.

That is why the Democratic Party is now not much more than a joke to every other political group.

So, the Democrats have become the agent of non-change, all the while moaning and groaning about all the things the conservatives are getting done. Until now.

Now, the Democrats can believe in change. Now the time is right.

Enter Barack Obama; the man who we can all count on to hear our voices. Like God, he will answer our political prayers and turn our government, and our country, away from the fat-cat companies and politicians, back to the people; people like you and me.

Thanks to Barack Obama, the Democratic Party is no longer a joke. They are a serious contender in the 2008 election. That's right; he's no Al Gore, although he did win a Grammy! He's not John Kerry, though you may catch him on a snowboard.

So what's on Obama's list of things to change? Well, surely he's going to address the almost 50 million (out of 304 million) people without any health insurance. Oh, how he addresses the plight of the uninsured!

He has promised a universal health care plan; one that will be identical to the plan which covers the members of Congress. Does that mean it will be free of charge? Of course not. Looks like we won't get the same plan as the good Congressmen/women. We can, however, rest assured knowing he strives to make sure that we have to be accepted for insurance, no matter what preexisting conditions we have. Will that ensure we are covered for our particular procedures? Probably not, which means that the largest problem facing insured Americans still exists. He does promise to keep the premiums low – perhaps even lower than our monthly gas bill, which is steadily increasing.

Which brings me to another issue our savior Obama has spoken about – the energy crisis. Actually, as far as Obama is concerned, it's more like the gas crisis. With no talk of clean, renewable energy such as solar, wind, or hydro-electric, he speaks highly of hybrid and flexfuel vehicles, and reducing our carbon emissions by 2050. According to many people – even people in his own party (Al Gore) – my house in Tallahassee, Florida will be waterfront property by 2050. Which makes me wonder if Obama's plan will come into effect soon enough.

It occurred to me – if the good Barack wants to improve vehicle mileage, cut down on carbon, and modernize our health care, he's surely going to have to put more money into science, right? He is, alright. He plans to increase government funding for research in physical, mathematical and engineering sciences. What will become of this taxpayer-funded research? Obama doesn't say, himself, but no doubt it will go exactly where it's always gone – to fat-cat corporations to sell back to the taxpayers who, in theory, have already paid for it. Like the internet, GPS, aspirin and most medical equipment, corporations will take the techniques and technology, discovered through government-funded research and sell it back to the American public at a huge profit margin.

Barack Obama's "change we can believe in" continues this way throughout the majority of his plans for what to accomplish as President. I suppose it was too much to believe in significant change, though he certainly has delivered in the subject of believable change, seeing how the Democrats haven't been doing much to move things in this direction so far, this is a very reasonable (and by reasonable I mean slow) start.

While I personally do not wholly disagree with most of Barack's stances on issues, I feel that much more could be done to change this country for the better. In my eyes, he promises change, but offers next to nothing.

So here I am, no longer sitting on my hands. Regardless of who is elected for any office at any level, I will push for change which I want to see happen. I will encourage everyone I talk to, whether they stand with me or against me, to let their voice be heard and to never simply complain.

I am not a Democrat, I am not a Republican, I do not fit into a predefined political or social box. I am an individual, and I will not settle for less than a real change.