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White House Hemp Protest Ends in Arrest
White House Hemp Protest Ends in Arrest
The War on Drugs symbolically made it to President Obama's doorstep today, as David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, was arrested after locking himself and twelve hemp plants in a steel cage in front of the White House. The businessman was protesting policies preventing the cultivation of industrial hemp plants. In addition to wagering a "beer bet" with President Obama, Bronner had planned to press fresh hemp oil on hemp bread and serve it to the public. His protest was cut short afte
11 Jun, 2012
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2 min read
Alternative Candidates in Majority of Gov, Senate & House Races
Alternative Candidates in Majority of Gov, Senate & House Races
One of the most enduring myths in US politics is the assertion that there are no alternatives to the candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties. Many would-be voters who are fed up with the forced choice between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumber are undoubtedly more likely not to vote than head to the polls and cast their ballot for a third party or Independent alternative. Given the lack of media coverage devoted to third party and Independent candidates, a large portion of the electorate
28 May, 2012
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3 min read
Q&A: \Approval Voting is the Path out of the Wilderness\
Q&A: \Approval Voting is the Path out of the Wilderness\
Frank Atwood is a Libertarian activist based out of Denver, CO. Atwood has been involved in causes on many levels; such as the repealing Littleton Grocery Tax and fighting against Wal-Mart. One of the causes that is passionate for Atwood is Approval Voting.The following is my interview with Frank Atwood.AJ: Please provide your political and activism background, for the readers.

Frank: First, thanks AJ for this interview opportunity. My political orientation is socially tolerant and fiscally res
24 May, 2012
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7 min read
Top Wind Power States? Guess Again...
Top Wind Power States? Guess Again...
Most people would probably choose California as the state with the highest percentage of electricity generation from wind power. As it turns out, California isn’t even close as it gets about 4% of its power from wind. The top honor goes South Dakota, with a whopping 22% of its power generation from wind. Iowa was next with 19%. North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wyoming followed, all with more than 10%. The top ten was rounded out by Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Oregon, and Oklahoma with more than 5%. T
19 Apr, 2012
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2 min read
Unemployment Lowest in the Rural Heartland
Unemployment Lowest in the Rural Heartland
Jobseekers might consider moving to fly-over states instead of perhaps making dismissive comments about them while on transcontinental flights. With a few exceptions, the lowest unemployment rates are in the heartland. Those looking for jobs there should also get ready for living in the country because the bulk of such jobs are in rural and exurban areas. This certainly is the opposite of the commonly accepted knowledge that big coastal cities are the primary drivers of employment and job growt
17 Apr, 2012
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2 min read
How Secure is Mitt Romney?
How Secure is Mitt Romney?
Independent Voter Network has been keeping a close eye on developments in the  GOP Primary for months. Based on Senator Santorum’s “suspension” of his campaign this week, we brought you a specific breakdown of delegate allocations and upcoming primaries on the horizon. Shortly after, Doug Wead, an advisor to the Paul Campaign, echoed much of those same comments in a posting at Congressman Ron Paul’s campaign website: “Without revealing too much, and keeping in mind that this changes weekly, you
13 Apr, 2012
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4 min read
State Tax Revenues Rise Last Fiscal Year
State Tax Revenues Rise Last Fiscal Year
The U.S. Census Bureau released their 2011 Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections report today, showing state revenue from taxes increased across the board last year. Overall, states brought in $763.7 billion in fiscal year 2011, an increase of $62.1 billion in tax collection. "The nationwide increases in state government tax revenue are an indication of the stabilization of revenues for state governments," said Lisa Blumerman, chief of the Governments Division. "These data help us
12 Apr, 2012
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2 min read
Santorum's Out, But Delegates Still Focus of GOP Primary
Santorum's Out, But Delegates Still Focus of GOP Primary
Senator Santorum suspended his campaign today, leaving Governor Romney as the likely Republican Party nominee with Speaker Gingrich and Dr. Ron Paul trailing, but still in the race. This is a fortuitous development for Gov. Romney, as April and May were not likely to be kind. Politics, after all, abhors a vacuum. This situation is likely to result in an exponential growth in Dr. Paul delegates, which has been the focus of the Paul campaign all along. This prediction is based on where the primari
10 Apr, 2012
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6 min read
State of the GOP Race: On To Pennsylvania
State of the GOP Race: On To Pennsylvania
Former Gov. Mitt Romney won handily in Wisconsin, Maryland and DC primaries on Tuesday. There are a couple conclusions born out of results in Wisconsin, in particular. As the primary race drags on, challenges for each of the presidential hopefuls remain. The next test will come in Pennsylvania, seen as a must-win for home son Sen. Santorum if he intends on surviving as a viable GOP competitor. For the remaining candidates, Republican nomination rules work in their favor to hang on for the nation
06 Apr, 2012
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6 min read
Rule Changes, Unenthusiastic Romney Supporters Prolong GOP Race
Rule Changes, Unenthusiastic Romney Supporters Prolong GOP Race
Despite the efforts of the Romney campaign and media treatment of the Republican nominating process as all but wrapped up in his favor, the reality is the GOP race continues on for several reasons. There remains a substantial and meritorious challenge to Gov. Romney receiving 50 delegates from Florida and 29 delegates from Arizona, based on the systems that those states used to award delegate. Both basically used winner-take-all rules, in a violation of RNC policy. It's a view shared by Michael
26 Mar, 2012
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5 min read