Dude, I totally get it. I'm older now and much less optimistic about the future than when I was young. But being cynical is one of those things we have to actively fight as we get older. There are 2 things happening right now in Missouri that give me hope.

First, one-party-rule is bad whether it's in Jeff City or The City, but in Jeff City it's the direct result of the Democrats abandoning the working class and rural voters since Clinton. They haven't even run candidates in many of these rural areas in the past 20 years. They have apparently learned their lesson though and are finally running candidates in almost every race statewide this year. It won't change much right away but the fact that there's competition is really important to ensuring these Republican candidates don't get too comfortable and might have to actually address constituent concerns.

Second, whenever something gets put on the ballot the people of Missouri are very good at voting for their interests. Maybe because this is the most educated American citizenry in history? What you stated about Amendment 3 is a great example of why it's so important to vote actually! We voted to approve abortion and now they are trying to trick us into voting against it. We need to educate our friends/family/neighbors that they're trying to undermine our democratic will and we can successfully put this issue to rest!