Today we all vote and conclude the longest dog-and-pony election show that has plagued American history. I’ve done my best to become an informed voter, to learn the most about the pros and cons of each candidate’s platform. It was pointless. All they do is say what the polls want them to and differ on one or two points in order to appear to be dissimilar.

Every four years each party nominates some twit who does their best to be perceived as a centrist, and then he picks some vice president from the far reaches of the party “base” in order to unify it. John McCain picked the lovely and bodacious Sarah Palin to compensate for his centrist positions and old age. Barack Obama, acknowledging his perceived lack of experience, chose the timeless Joe Biden.

My problem is with the fact that we have a simple “right or wrong” choice between two people. The parties are generally unresponsive to what the people really need, and, as per their British counterparts, serve as political voting machines that perpetuate power decade after decade.

Take a glance at the re-election rate for senators and representatives: it regularly stands above 90 percent. Congressional approval ratings are currently in the teens, yet we keep re-electing the same unresponsive career politicians that blame their failings on “the politics of Washington.” However, we cannot blame these leeches for just being what they are. The fault is with the voters. Why don’t we get rid of these irresponsible career politicians and get some real change we can believe in? Let’s put our country first.

Please, do not just go to a voting booth and simply vote your party line. Try something new this election: research every candidate. The Internet has made it so that all the information you need is right at your fingertips. The current system is perpetuated by the ills of assuming that the party line is correct. Look for the one that reflects your values most closely, not just in the Republican or Democratic parties, but the third and fourth parties. Do not think voting for a third party is a waste; it’s a statement against being forced to choose between two equally poor choices.

In terms of politics, ignorance is no longer bliss. We cannot stand by and let these career politicians abuse their power and turn it into re-election any longer. Informed decisions are both the foundation and mortar of a democracy. I plead with you, don’t think about party, think about what each person stands for. Think about what each person represents and how it relates to you. Read analyses of those positions. The point of this is that unless everyone becomes an informed voter, necessary change is impossible; voting simply becomes a perpetuation of the established order. So today, make sure you know what these candidates really stand for before you pull that lever.