With voter turnout in the last presidential election very low, is there anyone who still takes the political arena seriously?

While standing looking for a steak for my family cookout in a Des Moines store, a man asked me to take a look at a piece of meat he had. He began complaining about the type of meat the store had.

This struck up one of the most unique conversations I’ve ever had.

It was about the meat being bad because of something Governor Vilsack had done during his term in office.

The man told me how he came to this country from Italy when he was thirty-two and he was now sixty-three.

He had one of the heaviest accents I had ever heard, but he explained to me how it was our fault because we voted Vilsack into office.

The discussion soon turned to how capitalism messed up the country for everyone (But you could tell he still had a certain love for the country).

Conversations like this one give me a little hope to our state; they show people still care and want to do something about it.

The man made me realize there are people who vote and actually care about our state.

He was not born in our state, but it seemed like he felt more passionately about this state than people who were actually born here.

I could see the fire his eyes as he talked, but the whole time I was wondering how many other people would actually care if this man was talking to them.

Do people really care what happens to the future of Iowa, or even America?

Voting is at an all-time low because people either don’t like their choices or just do not care what happens.

People who are discussing how Iowa could be improved in a supermarket give me hope.

Everyone complains how every politician is out for their own interest and don’t care about the country.

They say their vote does not matter.

Politicians have the hardest job on the face of the earth because everyone questions every decision that is made.

Are the politicians supposed to act for their constituents, themselves, their country or the world?

Not every politician is going to have a clear answer on whether a policy decision is or isn’t going to help his or her constituents.

The people we elect to public office, in theory, are supposed to be the best of the best to help create a better society and answer the difficult questions of the day.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen.

Some people have a less-than-stellar performance in public office, but this doesn’t mean every politician is out for their own interest and can’t answer the difficult questions.

Not everyone is going to unanimously agree that a person is a great politician because everyone has a different view of what a politician should be in today’s world.

People are allowed to voice their opinion about how politicians choose to run the government.

It’s amazing our system works out in this really crazy way.

People actually can make a difference in who is elected.

I understand it is a weird concept that one person’s vote can make a difference in an election, but it really can.

If that one person looks at the issues and talks to anyone else, their one vote multiplies because it affects other people’s votes and views on that particular election.

Everyone looks at each election in a different light. Discussing one’s vote gives another point of view to voters.

One would assume if more people started talking about elections and voting we would receive better representation in our government. Although it still wouldn’t be a perfect system, it might be a little bit better.

David Frost is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Des Moines.