Serious ranting, avoid if possible

I've always made it a point to be politically aware, but I think I've given up on politics. What's it worth to follow? I truly believe that I will never make even the slightest difference. The system is set up in a way that may be activist-proof. Or revolution-proof. Take gas, as a timely example. The world price goes up, gas prices will raise that afternoon, often times jumping 30 cents while I'm at work. Would the prices ever go down in a similar fashion? Of course not, it is a business geared to make as much money as possible, just like all large businesses. So they lower it slowly, over the course of a few weeks, months. Clearly, this being only one of a great many examples, they are making money from us. And yet on forums, and television, and anywhere you have an opinion being spouted, there are always people to jump to the defense of the oil industry. To claim that they are not trying to make money, that somehow they are an innocent, altruistic commodity dealer in the midst of the wolf pack of corporate America. That is the worst part to me. I can understand full bore bastard capitalism, profit uber alles. I can understand lobbyists, and political maneuvering. But to have the system so wrapped around your fat oily dick as to have a good percentage of the population actually believing that you have no control over the prices, and that these record profits you are posting are somehow unrelated to the sharp rise in the price of the commodity you deal in exclusively - that's what really stings.
But this isn't a rant on gas (lies). Every issue seems to have that side to me lately. It's not that I want everyone to agree with me, I just want there to be a real political arena of the people. One where the issues that affect people are being discussed in an honest fashion. An arena where advertising and push polling and special interest groups and attack ads and hot-button election year issues all fucking wither up and die. I want the corporate dick to come out of the mouths of people, and for them to stop all their wet, smacking mumblings.
I want to stop feeling like I did when I was a child, watching two opposed sides argue at each other, never listening to what the other side says. And all the while the one who is watching this argument is getting fucked over the worst.