Participating in a democracy isn't an act of futility if you believe in that form of government; in that case, it is an act of necessity. The only naivete here is thinking that that participation is, and should be, easy.

JayMM, I DO believe your vote is important and that it can make a difference but not, perhaps, in the way that you think. Voting forces us to consider the important issues facing our country, if for no other reason than to decide who should get our vote. We discuss global warming with coworkers, the economy with family members, social issues with friends, etc. We talk about the job this president and past presidents have done and how successful they were. We listen to news about Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, Cuba, Georgia and Russia and think about what our role in the world should be and what resources we should dedicate to those goals. Voting forces us to become engaged in how our country is run and what goals our country should have.

Voting is not, by any means, the only way to participate in our democracy [there is public service, civil disobedience, information dissemination, or supporting the infrastructure necessary for our democracy to function (i.e., holding down a job)], but voting IS important just in keeping us attuned to what's going on and forcing us to form opinions (and think) about policy decisions.

All this to say that the information we get from the campaign coverage is important. You're right that we don't know what is going to happen in the future, but that doesn't absolve our responsibility to act in the present. I mean, really, what kind of idiocy is that, anyway? "We can't know what the future holds so we shouldn't do anything at all?" And you're saying that to do anything other than nothing is an act of naivete? Our democracy doesn't run as smoothly and as perfectly as you would like, so it's not worth the effort?

Because we have a free and active press, we know the circumstances to 41's reneging on his "no new taxes" pledge and can decide if his compromise with Congress was worth his going back on his word. Because of our media, we have the information to help us decide if Clinton's support of conservative ideas was a betrayal to his supporters (and his beliefs) or effective management of public resources given the circumstances he was facing at the time. As for 43... no, we don't need to go there.

Yes, the conventions are going to be mostly pageant; no, there isn't likely to be any exciting campaign altering news. But those conventions will highlight the background, qualifications, priorities and plans of both candidates. For anyone who is undecided or who has not been paying much attention to the campaigns until now, these conventions can be an excellent way to get to know these candidates as they put their very best foot forward and make their case as to why we should bother to vote for them come November.

I can understand how ordinary citizens can get so overwhelmed with all the complex ideas and information on energy policy, tax reforms, economic stewardship, international diplomacy, and such, that they give up trying to make sense of it all. But that's exactly why we need good journalists who can not only deliver that needed information to us, but help us make sense of it as well.

So, I hope you can now understand why I get a little peeved at reporters who whine about doing their job when they should know, better than most, how important their job is.