Is electing a president like buying a lottery ticket?

Every four years we hold an election for president and the winner always is the candidate who can make Americans believe that something better will result because we elect this person over that person. For some of us, we allow ourselves to believe that it really can change. That past wrongs can be righted. And every time, regardless of who is president, we get mostly the same thing.

It doesn't matter if it's Barack Obama or George Bush or Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan. Rhetoric changes but that's about it. Common sense improvements are not made to the lives of Americans because it's too difficult, or politically unpopular or there is no way to change the Washington, D.C. status quo of special interests running the show. It's disheartening regardless of your political persuasion.

About all we can seem to accomplish in Washington, D.C. is to nibble around the edges of big problems. Then when all the politicians add their pet projects and pork spending, we barely see an improvement and costs skyrocket.

Often it's not the president's fault. He comes into office intending to make changes, but quickly learns that just isn't going to happen. George Bush Sr. learned that on the "no new taxes" pledge. Obama found it out too when his pronouncements during the election of getting lobbyists out of the legislation business just didn't work. This health care overhaul is filled with goodies to buy votes. It's sickening.

Getting voters to buy into the dream is crucial, though. And many of us still do it. However, because so many people are cynical about anything really changing we have poor voter turnout. Even more frustrating is that we cannot affect change if people won't vote the people out of office who refuse to make a real difference. It's self-perpetuating.

Millions of people buy lottery tickets every week just for the fantasy of winning. They know there's a better chance of a meteor slamming into their house but they pay a dollar for the day or two of dreaming what they'd do if they won.

Maybe electing a president is similar. We want to believe they will change things for the better, even if deep down we don't believe it. If that's true, that's sad.