I suspect in some ways Americans approach a general election the way they approach the Olympics. A year before the 2002 Games in Salt Lake, I was assigned to cover long-track speed-skating. I traveled to a few events in different parts of the country to get to know the athletes. At these, people like Derek Parra and Chris Witty would skate around with virtually no public attention. In their spare time, they wandered your neighborhood Home Depot in orange aprons, waiting on people who were more interested in bathroom fixtures than world records. But when the Olympics began, they suddenly became stars feted on late-night talk shows and followed by adoring crowds.

Today, they're back at Home Depot.

So, every couple of years, people sit down to watch the political games unfold. And, because they feel an obligation to vote, many of them make an effort at an informed decision, even if that means relying a lot on family tradition, what a respected neighbor down the street says or knowledge about a candidate's general philosophy. We become about as expert on the candidates as we do every four years on the triple lutz.

Maybe that really isn't such a horrible thing. After all, while you can make some strong arguments about problems in America, the republic hasn't done all that badly in the past century or so. The whole idea behind a representative government is that average people don't have the time to make informed decisions about government, so they elect competent representatives to do it for them, right?

Well, yes. But shouldn't people be a little better informed than they are, especially considering this is the Information Age? Or are we ignorant because we are in a relative state of bliss?

I suspect the truth, as always, lies somewhere between the extremes.

Kennedy was onto something, but it probably takes a combination of ignorant voters and malicious leaders to do real damage. Either way, Americans should take government more seriously. No one seems to have found a sure solution for that. But at the least, I'd like to feel a little better about the person punching holes in the booth next to me on Election Day.

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Jay Evensen is editor of the Deseret Morning News editorial page. E-mail: even@desnews.com