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There are basically five ways for money to flow into politics; well, six if you include the revolving door -- oh wait -- there's also the spousal side door and family back door — so that makes seven. The following is a list of the top 10 individuals who donate to 527s, nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations with the primary purpose of influencing elections. Data was collected from the Center for Responsive Politics on OpenSecrets.org, which supplies a wealth — pun intended — of information. 10. A

Last week, both Illinois and Hawaii passed same-sex marriage making them the 15th and 16th states to do so. Overall, 2013 has been quite a year for the LGBT community. These last two states just seem to put the icing on the proverbial cake. It all comes on the heals of the 2012 election where voters in three states (Maine, Maryland, and Washington) approved same-sex marriage and rejected a ban on it in the state of Minnesota. So, what has transpired during the year? Rhode Island, Delaware, Mi

The backbone of any candidate's political platform is built off of the promises he/she makes to voters to get elected and stay elected. Whether or not these promises are kept is the ruler by which a leader's success is measured. When it comes to the current president however, Obama has fallen short on the promises that were made in 5 key areas: Closing Guantanamo Bay, keeping ones healthcare, government transparency, warrantless surveillance, and protecting whistle-blowers. Closing Guantanamo

While much focus was put on the major gubernatorial and mayoral races across the nation on Tuesday, Illinois lawmakers approved the legalization of same-sex marriage. The law will go before Governor Pat Quinn who is expected to make Illinois the fifteenth state to allow gay couples to wed. Currently, Illinois allows civil unions for same-sex couples, but for many the law didn't go far enough to ensure equal rights for all couples. The legalization of same-sex marriage in Illinois comes not even

The fact that early voting is even a contentious issue in America today tells us a great deal about how poisoned our politics has become; how untethered it often can seem  from sense and sensibility. Of course, more early voting options would offer the American people more convenient and practical ways in which to exercise their franchise. Giving voters more “time, place, and manner choices” when it comes to casting a ballot makes sense as a market-based concept. And it is self-evidently a good

Historical perspective can be marvelous for whatever ails you—especially if what ails you is the belief that things are worse in America today than they have ever been. This is almost never true. In the 230 or so years that we have been a country, we have been through—and overcome—a lot. At different points in the past, we have been more in debt, more divided, and more gridlocked than we are now. And as difficult as it can be to believe when reading the comments section of any online news sourc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGmiw_rrNxkWednesday, a coalition of hundreds of organizations, whistle blowers, and civil rights leaders unveiled a video (above) opposing "suspicionless surveillance of American citizens." The 'Stop Watching Us' campaign features many notable privacy proponents including Daniel Ellsberg, best known for the 'Pentagon Papers,' and Glen Greenwald, the Guardian reporter who 'leaked' information on the NSA's PRISM surveillance program from Edward Snowden.A rally is p

Concerns about rising tuition and how students can afford to finance their major investments in post-secondary education are widespread. Solid insights into these questions require accurate and up-to-date information about prices. reports on the prices charged by colleges and universities in 2013-14, how prices have changed over time, and how they vary within and across types of institutions, states, and regions. We also provide information on the net prices that students and families actually p

With its last two former governors arrested, Illinois has become a political punch line. As if to throw more fuel on the fire, a 2011 report found that 14 Illinois counties had more registered voters than residents. It has also witnessed Illinois become a solidly Democratic state. The causes are multiple. The recent Democratic ascendance has coincided with a period of unsatisfactory Republican governance and damage to the national party brand. It has also come with Illinois Democrats prevailin

In 2011, Wisconsin state budget and accounting issues actually got so exciting they brought reminders of protests from the 1960s and 1970s.  The 2011 debate centered on how the state would approach paying retirement benefits for government workers.   Wisconsin’s ‘Budget Repair Bill’ included provisions to limit pay and benefits and to restrict collective bargaining. These provisions sparked widespread protest, including counter-protests in favor of the bill.  After the Wisconsin Supreme Court up