Ads, ads, ads. Good luck consuming broadcast media over the next two months without smelling more bull than a rodeo floor. I’m surprised the presidential campaigns haven’t started sponsoring entire NCAA and NFL broadcasts — they’ve bought so much airtime they might as well look in to product placement.

I wonder if people bother researching political positions beyond TV spots and Facebook memes?

I think our country needs a remedial civics lesson. With focus solely on the presidential race, we’re missing the big picture — our congressional representatives and state legislators are the folks making the laws. Concerning yourself solely with voting for president is like Coach Rhoads recruiting mascots in the offseason — Cy serves as the symbol for the team, but it’s the players who move the ball down the field.

Right now, the ball isn’t moving. Hell, House Republicans refuse to even step on the field. The congressional approval rating is one point away from single digits (and an all-time low), but I’ll bet the farm most folks couldn’t name their options for state or federal representatives.

We have two civic duties as citizens of this country: researching our elected officials and making informed decisions. Your Facebook friends who can’t go a day without broadcasting their political bickering are every bit as annoying as you think they are, but they’re still better than the people who pretend they’re above caring in the first place. The luxury of holding our elected officials accountable for the jobs they’ve done — or lack thereof — is an opportunity none of us should squander.

If you think “this country is going in the wrong direction,” whatever that means to you, use the magic of Google to research the folks you think can turn things around. If you’re basing your vote solely on party lines or half-truths from the TV, yeah, you’re slightly better than the people who stay home, but not by much.

As an American, you have two civic duties: voting and paying taxes. Both are about as fun as a Sriracha enema, and both are necessary. If you’re disaffected with our elected officials — state, federal or local — your one and only chance to do something about that is Nov. 6. Ultimately, the people who make or break America aren’t the president, your congressman or congresswoman, or ‘activist judges,’ but each and every one of us.

I almost can’t blame our generation for being politically apathetic, but the wisest man I know is fond of saying: “You vote, or you shut up for four years,” and he’s absolutely right.