Yes, there comes a time to give up on a nation where everyone has gone batshit. But nobody on this board is fleeing Syria, North Korea, or Honduras. We're talking about how to get cheaper insurance, a situation 99% of us have yet to lift a finger to improve.
What can we really do? Seems like both major parties in US are bought.
This does seem like something that both makes moral and financial sense to change. It is a matter of life and death. Is it just too abstract for people to sit up and notice? I think if enough people got fired up we'd see some changes.
I wonder if people just don't know. Commercial TV won't tell you because they depend on the advertising for pills. There's all sorts of stuff on the internet, but there is a lot of stuff in general like UFOs and ancient aliens.
Here's the thing that kind of sticks with me. In the Spring of 2017, they tried to get rid of Obamacare. Mr. Trump said he was going to replace it with something that was terrific. I saw films of people protesting their politicians because if they took away health care they would die. I saw facts and figures that millions of people would lose their heath care if they did this. They almost did it, but John McCain came out of the hospital and voted it down. Right wing media then said bad things about him.
So, what is recommended by the wise Mustachians to do to help fix this? It seems kind of basic to help sick people.
Are both political parties bought? I have friends who feel the ability to repeat this assumption and swear off political participation is a mark of sophistication. However, I also see lots of social media memes that seem to assure me that the entire political system is rotten, political participation is naive, and probably a system with a "strong leader" could do a better job governing than democracy. Who devotes their days to making these memes? Do they use bots to spread them? Was I targeted to receive this message? What's their agenda, anyway? Asking such questioning is a 21st century survival skill just like questioning the assumption one needs an SUV "to haul stuff" as seen on TV.
Your request for concrete steps is a good one. Here are some steps:
1) Google your state's secretary of state or elections commission. Find out the following:
a) How to register to vote
b) What elections are coming up (e.g. primaries, local elections, special elections)
2) Register to vote.
3) Look up the websites for each candidate and determine how their values align with yours. If the websites are vague, send the campaign your questions. You can sometimes learn the most about candidates by examining their endorsements - do these groups align with your values? Remember, you will not find a perfect match. Good enough is good enough. You might find the perfect person to vote against, though.
4) Once you have decided who to vote for (or against!) look into casting an early ballot. This saves time.
5) Let your friends know who you support and why. Campaigns sometimes spend dozens of dollars per voter to try to obtain a fraction of the influence you would have in a conversation or social media post. Does this require a bit of social courage? Yes! But actions such as this undermine the influence of money in politics. You can't be against the influence of money in politics while also not undermining it! Also, you have contributed to normalizing political activity, going against the grain in a culture that increasingly celebrates cynicism and apathy. Cynicism and apathy are why drug companies can extort people for lifesaving pills that cost a few dollars to make, yet have a six-figure price. It's why people think this awful situation is as good as it gets. Fight the big money and fight the apathy.
6) Find something you are buying that does not align with your values. E.g. Starbucks lattes, cable, faster-than-necessary internet or data plans, name-brand detergent,... even for mustachians there's always something. Donate the annual savings to candidates who support your values. Maybe it's only $15, or $50. Maybe it's thousands. Do it anyway. None of our budgets even remotely align with our values, so this should not be painful.
7) Host an "I voted" party, where the ticket for admission is an "I voted" sticker. Buy a shitload of beer. There's no need to talk politics at the party if your friends are ideologically diverse - just enjoy each other's company and normalize democracy. Again, this totally undermines money in politics and defeats those social media messages influencing people not to vote.
8) If you find a candidate who agrees with you on 70-80% of issues - holy shit, go all in. Ask if there are opportunities to volunteer. Figure out how you can raise funds, etc.
9) Learn leadership and public speaking. Find a local club of Toastmasters International, make a bunch of new less-apathetic friends, and be transformed within a year into someone who can confidently introduce a candidate at a rally, someone who can give an elevator pitch to support your values, and someone who has the potential to lead. This opens doors to many more ways to contribute and is also a good way to get a promotion at work.
10) Attend public events such as candidate forums, campaign events, debates, or city hall meetings. Ask questions in person. This nudges leaders to commit to positions or moderate positions you disagree with. Public pressure moves the needle and journalists write this stuff down.