If you wish to participate in an active discussion please choose from one of the forums on the left. It is questionable whether people are doing even that. Having taught national and international politics in universities, it was discouraging that students came to the classes, at least at first, woefully uninformed and generally apathetic about government-level activities in general. On the other hand, it was refreshing to see, by the end of the course, that students were much more informed and, frankly, much more energetic about not only government, but also their roles in it. The general trend towards apathy and nonparticipation will continue unabated unless families and schools take a much more proactive role in cultivating and grooming the next generation of participatory citizens.
Simple steps can yield dramatic results.
People who could do some genuine good for both major parties are opting for nonparticipation because of the degree of scrutiny that now comes with running for office. It is also an exercise in begging, since relatively few people have the immediate resources at hand to finance their own campaigns. I believe in earning money, not conducting activity after activity to beg for it. The parties themselves are also to blame, somewhat, for the erosion of the civic culture. I speak from first-hand experience.