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The headline may sound sensational, but trust me: there is a lot of truth to it. New Mexico held its primary elections on Tuesday, June 5. It is a closed primary state, which means only registered Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians can participate in their respective party's primaries. This, in and of itself, creates a system where equal participation in the public election process is conditioned on affiliating with a private political organization. According to the latest voter registra

Health care is running front and center in the three Iowa races. Iowa went Trump in 2016, which saw the Democrats blown out of the water that year. Iowa Democrats are seeking to un-fracture their party which saw supporters defect from establishment candidate Hillary to outsider Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary caucuses. In fact, in 2016, Republicans stole the state Senate, making the state a trifecta of GOP control beginning in the 2017 legislative session. Governor Inc

There is a significant amount of worry in left-leaning circles around the California nonpartisan primary on June 5. In moving the state of California to an even deeper shade of blue, the Sanctuary State policy, the gas tax, the ballooning budget of the bullet train and more, California Democrats have positioned themselves, unnecessarily some say, into a rather precarious position, and have given the state's GOP some much needed oxygen and political ammo heading into the June 5th Primary. Mark

The California Energy Commission, more or less on the fly, has decreed that beginning in 2020 all new single-family homes and low-rise multi-family residential projects must be built with rooftop solar panels. Although they would add perhaps $10,000 to the cost of a new home, the commission insists that solar arrays would pay for themselves in lower electric power bills while helping the state meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals. All good? Not necessarily. Energy Experts Critical of Prog

Last week, President Trump shocked some by taking the safe road and nominating the acting VA Secretary Robert Wilkie to fill the role permanently. The president is not known for taking safe or predictable actions. However, in the wake of the scandal with Dr. Ronny Jackson, and the very public and unpleasant firing of Dr. David Shulkin in March, he almost had to in order to ensure confirmation. Wilkie’s nomination is not without hiccups, but should go relatively smoothly. Not long after Wilkie

The State of California's Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), has filed a complaint on behalf of the California Teamsters Local 911 who represents the San Diego Lifeguard Union. The union claims the San Diego Fire-Rescue department in coordination with the City of San Diego, engaged in unfair labor practices relating to 911 response times and the reluctance to send the San Diego Lifeguard Swift Water Rescue team to Houston to assist with Hurricane Harvey emergency services. COPY OF COMP

As the Green Party candidate for Congress in upstate NY District 21, when I describe the threats of global warming and the urgent need for an electric grid and national economy based on clean, renewable energy, I always hear the same three challenges: * “Green energy is a pipedream that can’t power anything larger than a flashlight.” * “Solar electric power is subsidized by the government and could not survive in a free market.” * “I don’t believe in climate change, so what’s the big deal?”

First, let me apologize. I don’t really think you are stupid. I was competing for your attention with an oxymoron. And also to demonstrate how easy it is to get attention by using denigrating language. Something titled “Dignity Is the Answer” would not interest as many people. Yet I know the world would be improved if dignity were our basis for living. When dignity is present, all things are possible. Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be tre

Last week I traveled to Kansas for an appearance at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. Nestled in the hills of Lawrence (seemingly the only hills in this flattest of states), the Institute building is a striking structure, framing a towering stained glass rendering of the American flag. But for all its modernism, on the path to the main entrance, there is a four-foot stone hitching post from the original Dole ranch. The post is weathered, a clear reminder of t

Voter suppression is a strategy to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing people from voting and is different from political campaigning. Campaigning attempts to change likely voting behavior by changing the opinions of potential voters through persuasion. Voter suppression attempts to reduce the number of voters who might vote against a candidate or proposition through other means, such as legal hurdles or physical intimidation. Although one can argue voter suppre