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This year did not give voters much in terms of transcending partisanship at the Congressional level. However, breakthroughs of candidates and politicians who have publicly challenged the fiction that politics is a choice between Republican or Democratic ideas should not go unnoticed. Included in this list are politicians whose actions cannot be defined as simply left or right. Instead they represent a diverse set of principles and ideas that span the political spectrum. Here are the most indep

IVN is built on the idea that anyone who is willing to participate in the news, under the simple etiquette, should be able to speak for themselves. As a result, IVN's content reaches millions of readers every month, over 100,000 readers follow our news on Facebook, and IVN continues to be the fastest-growing news source for independent-minded voters. To date, over 8,700 articles have been published since the first iteration launched in 2008. Since few readers will have the time to look through a

As expected of every election season, political gaffes were bound to happen. Gaffes have been associated with campaign exhaustion, an unsuccessful attempt at humor, or a lack of emotional discipline. Aside from acting as fodder for jokes or fuel for opponents, flubs made by political leaders and candidates alike can create a personal insight that their political image would not allow. Scott Walker Even after a successful 2014 reelection bid, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) still managed to la

The GOP is flexing its budget muscles as party leaders in Congress try to prove they can handle the responsibility of legislating. In light of retaking the Senate and winning the most House seats since World War II, the majority of Republican lawmakers are looking to create as close to a bipartisan path forward as possible. Their current proposal to fund the government is just a few months and one major agency short of a full annual budget. This aforementioned “cromnibus” is a big step in the

When looking to the Founders on the topic of education, probably the finest example to turn to is Noah Webster. Often called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education," his primers were used for more than five generations. teaching children to read and write while secularizing their education. Common Core education is a modern political hotbed, mostly along the red/blue divide. It's a revolutionary way of teaching students and is an attempt to standardize learning throughout the United

For many advocates of marijuana legalization, 2014 was a banner year. With initiatives passing in Oregon, Alaska, and in Washington D.C., it seems that the United States may be just a few short years away from complete federal legalization. Now that advocates can point to the relative successes of marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado, the nation could see an increase in ballot measures in 2016. Here are the 5 states most likely to explore full legalization next: 1. California Th

Evan Falchuk, the first candidate to run under the newly formed United Independent Party (UIP) in Massachusetts, knew when he started campaigning that he had little chance of becoming the next governor. But even though he lost the bid, he still won, as his real accomplishment on Election Day – an accomplishment shared amongst most independent-minded Massachusettsians – was gaining the 3 percent of the vote needed for his party to become officially recognized by the state. He earned 3.3 percent

"No Taxation without Representation," was a major rallying cry of the American Revolution. At the heart of it was the fact that Colonial Americans had absolutely no say in the legislation process that created taxes. I have often wondered what our early Founders did toward taxation after the Revolution, yet never had the time to really research it or had access to the documents to find out. The Internet is an incredible invention -- vast amounts of material is available at a moment's notice. On

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy. --attrib. Alexander F. Tytler Nothing quite transcends party lines like the ability of politicians to deliver s

Right now, all eyes in the nation are on Ferguson, Missouri, anticipating the results of the grand jury investigation into the killing of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson. Businesses are being shuttered and gun sales are up -- the town is fearful of more rioting when the results are announced. In moments of civil tension and passion like these, it is a good idea to reflect on our Founders, and look at what they did when faced with similar injustice and public uncertainty. Boston