The biggest problem with our democracy

is that most elections are an exercise in futility. Incumbents in Congress have a 98% chance of getting re-elected. Excessive, illogical, and self-serving gerrymandering has rendered our electoral system largely meaningless--districts are drawn in such a way that effectively guarantee the status-quo. So, instead of a Congress that reflects the centrist views of most Americans, we're left with a bitterly divided body marked by partisan bickering.

Money Quote:

"As a mapmaker, I can have more of an impact on an election than a campaign, than a candidate," says Republican consultant David Winston, who drew House seats for the GOP after the 1990 U.S. Census. "When I, as a mapmaker, have more of an impact on an election than the voters, the system in out of whack."