To get good government, get active in a political campaign at the local, state, or national level

Americans these days are complaining loudly about politicians.

Citizens are saying things such as: “Politicians are all corrupt.” “I don’t trust them.” “Politicians will do anything to win.” “They don’t listen to people’s concerns.” “Politicians aren’t doing anything to help the public.” “Corporations own the politicians.”

But, there are a lot of good elected officials working to improve how the government carries out its work.

To help government run better, pick out a candidate for a local, state, or national office and work for him or her. In the past, very few Americans have been politically active. Now, the number of citizens participating is increasing due to use of the Internet.

Nearly half of all Americans have used the Internet, email, or cell phone text messaging to get news about a campaign, share their views, and mobilize others, according to a recent survey of 2,251 American adults by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

The number of Americans going online daily at the end of the primary season to get political news or information has more than doubled since a comparable point in the 2004 race – from 8 percent of all adults in spring 2004 to 17 percent of all adults in spring 2008.

The survey found that:

• Younger voters are among the most active and intense Internet users.
• 6 percent of Americans have made political contributions online, compared with 2 percent who did that during the entire 2004 campaign.
• A significant number of voters are using the Internet to gain access to campaign events and primary documents. This includes video of candidate debates, speeches, and announcements, as well as position papers and speech transcripts.