How much power do you have (personally)over your government?

A single person doesn't have much power. However, people en masse have a lot of power, and if each single person gives up and says "I have no power" and does nothing, then nothing will happen.

I must dissent from the substance of what you have quoted Miss Mead as saying. The French revolution was a product of a mass movement, and although many people attempted to ride the storm--Mirabeau, Danton, Robespierre, Lafayette, Hébert, Marat--the revolution destroyed more individuals and coteries than it empowered. In the end, one man, Napoleone Buonaparte (or Napoleon Bonapart, if you prefer), was able to exploit the wreck of the revolution, and he damned near screwed the pooch himself--if it hadn't been for his brother Jerome, he'd have been an historical footnote.

The object of a democracy is to have power over ones self and over ones destiny.... People do form governments to enforce the common will; but since our government falls short of democracy it also falls short of enforcing the public will... The government has been captured by principals in contradiction to the constitution and the goals for which the constitution was written.. All anyone can do is point out how far short it has fallen from its goals and urge revolution

I vote, but some other damn idiot consistently cancels me out. So, to answer your question, I'm pretty powerless. However, I do write a pretty mean letter to the editor.

What are you voting on??? If we had democracy instead of majority rule, if that matter affected you, then you would naturally have a vote on it, and if the matter did not affect you, then why would you presume to vote on it???

We do not get to vote on the issues that affect us... We get to vote on people, and press as a privilage, and wealth as a privilage, and religion as a privilage has the right to influence the votes of those we elect, often with a contrived slight majority of votes from a given, gerrymandered district... And that is fair, right; since the parties rule, that they can divide districts to keep one party in power indefinitely and leave the minority in the district under, or unrepresented... You can see where they give some districts away to a black democrate by an overwhelming majority so they can keep five districts republican on a 4 to 5% consitent majority, which some people consider grossly unfair...And everywhere is the influence and kow towing to money... Whether the interests of local communities will be served depends upon how much pressure can be brought to bear on national party organizations...It is corrupting that so many issues affecting only few people have to receive national attention and get the attention of national parties in order to be acted upon... Not every issue is a federal case, but if your local representative is acting against your issues, then you only have the choice of appealing to elected members of the other party whether they were elected to represent you or not... And there the idea of Principals serves its purpose since even when an official votes against the interests of all his constituents; he can say he does so on the basis of principals...

voting & suing