America the confused

I have to start with this, I love this country, I do, the passion, the history, the culture (I know people think we don't have one, but we do). So here's the thing, what happened to us. It has gotten to a point that if we show any sort of pride in our country then people yell at us and throw all sorts of statistics in our face about homelessness, obesity, war, etc. But if we disagree even the slightest about the direction of our country we're terrorists, and people start reading us the bill of rights (what I find funny is that they focus on free speech which they happen to not be allowing us). What do we do? My choice, I don't vote. I don't care who you vote for, somehow they are going to screw it up, with or without my consent, so I choose not to contribute, there is no such thing as a lesser evil, evil is evil and I refuse to put my stamp on any brand of it. This past election I voiced my opinion to a family member that I don't vote. I was told that it was my duty as an American citizen to vote, not my right (which means I choose whether or not I exercise it) but my duty, this relative then proceeded to try and bribe me.. not joking.. was going to give me money, so I would vote. When that didn't work they went on to tell me I would feel really good about myself if I did. Why would compromising my beliefs make me feel good about myself? I didn't try and bribe them not to vote, whether or not they choose to exercise their rights is none of my business. W hat is the obsession with the hard sell (i.e. stalking and berating someone until they agree with you)? We all have opinions and the inalienable right to voice said opinions, but where in the constitution does it say we have the right to ram our opinions down everyone's throats. I t is times like this that I start to see the wisdom in the Amish way of life (except for the clothes, religious intolerance, and shunning of electricity). Where is the social commune for us non nutters? I n closing I really hope you liked my first entry and I hope you comment soon and often, I promise I'll get back to you if you leave me a message.