Readers, don’t get too excited, but be aware that any day you can be bailed out.

This isn’t a financial bailout. This is a political bailout.

Run through some of these questions. Are you experiencing stress caused by the economy? Does your stomach churn at the sight of American International Group executives? Could you use some free time? If so, you and millions of other Americans qualify for political bailout.

Before the election, I bet on the Democrats, but now I’m cursing more than an unlucky gambler in Vegas. Millions of Americans agreed with me, and the odds seemed to be in our favor. The situation was simple.

There was a $127 billion surplus, and President George Bush spent all the money. Then President Barack Obama promised to get the surplus back because that was the promise made.

After the race, however, reality became more complicated. Instead of saving money, the government now spends it on huge bailout checks. AIG and Bank of America receive unlimited cash, but General Motors will only receive enough to restructure once their CEO Rick Wagoner steps down.

Don’t bet on this game of bailout musical chairs because the government doesn’t even know when the music will stop.

Someone should be asking “Who’s taking responsibility for this situation? Who has their thumb on the needle?”

Watching stocks tick down everyday on CNN and listening to registered GOP members scold Democrats only made me want to cash out and leave politics to the politicians. Exchange your chips for a big-screen television and watch the stocks plummet in high definition.

I was at this point, but like any political junkie, I eventually had to feed my craving.

Last week I walked in Founders Memorial Library and voted in the Student Association elections.

While it wasn’t a national campaign or a referendum about state taxes, the SA ballot had the most direct and immediate result of any vote I’ve ever cast. With that my political cravings returned. I immediately bought back into the game.

Politics may be frustrating. Your candidate may not win or the president can disappoint you but giving up is not the answer. From local elections on a university campus to presidential campaigns of the national scale, politics matter.

When your chips are down, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose but that you even played the game.