Do not give up on your politicians.

It is easy to have a cynical view of the people we have elected to represent us in Washington. It is easy to complain that all politicians are slaves to special interest groups and are only concerned about themselves and their re-election. We can complain about new Pell Grant regulations and Social Security’s slow demise, but unless we come together and act to persuade people to better represent us, nothing will change.

As I traveled to Washington last January to start a semester-long internship in a Senate office, I too was skeptical about politicians in general. I was tired of politicians only listening to groups of people and not individual citizens. I felt as if I were going to be a brief member of an exclusive club. By the end of my internship in May, I realized that it is possible to make a difference as an elected official.

My time in Washington helped me to realize how hard many of our elected officials work to represent us. It is certainly true that, in Iowa, we get a prepackaged media view of what happens in Washington, and oftentimes all of the good things get lost in the news shuffle. Bipartisanship, rare to the casual observer, occurs much more than we are even aware of.

From assorted education initiatives, like funding for talented and gifted and special education, to the importation of drugs from Canada to lower pharmacy costs for seniors, politicians are working together for the good of all citizens. One of my favorite things to do was to go around and get a letter signed by a plethora of senators. It was always exciting to see names of both Republican and Democratic senators on the same piece of paper, agreeing on things that promote the greatest good for the American people.

I will not give up on American politicians.

The other thing that I learned while in Washington is that, as a citizen of the United States, I have a responsibility to help make my government serve its people. If I am not happy with the way a program is run or with a specific law, part of my duty as a citizen is to try to persuade others to see my point of view and agree with me. The interesting thing about politics is that there is always going to be something I am not happy with codified in law, but I have an opportunity to persuade my senators and representatives and make them aware of my viewpoint.

To be a U.S. representative, you have to be 25, and to be a Senator 30, according to the Constitution. To be an Iowa representative, you have to be 21, and 25 to be a state senator. Although it seems to be a daunting task to get elected to such an office, the key is action. Each of us as a citizen has the potential to go out and persuade people to provide votes or financial support to help us become elected.

As citizens and members of the republic that is the United States of America, we have the opportunity to play an active role in government and become public servants ourselves. Working across the aisle does not have to be a far off dream, but we must get up, stop accepting the congressional partisan drama and do something. If we only complain from our recliners, we are squandering our potential.

As long as our potential to persuade public officials and our opportunity to run for public office exists, do not give up on our politicians.