Photo: Joe Wrinn / Harvard University News

There are many factors prospective voters take into account when deciding among candidates. What are their policies? What is their experience in government? Are they a charismatic leader? Will they be knowledgeable in all aspects of the job? Voters ask these questions in an effort to ascertain how competent the candidate will be in office.

Credit: nasa.gov

In what has become a depressingly normal occurrence in California, the state makes rosy estimations of projected California tax revenue in order to get a balanced budget passed, only to discover a few months later that revenue is less than expected.

Todd Wiseman / Texas Tribune

It is election year in America. This means that voters and potential voters are deluged with all the muck PACs and action groups can dig up. The parties scramble to manage the image of their candidates. In Congress and in state capitals across the nation, politicians stop their partisan bickering over laws of substance-- and engage in partisan bickering over laws about the election itself.

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Who says Paul Ryan is a fiscal conservative? Well, Paul Ryan says he is. So does ABC News, NBC News, Rick Perry, Slate, United Press International, and others.  It’s the conventional wisdom, in some circles, that Ryan is a fiscal conservative and that that is a good thing.

So what is a fiscal conservative?

John Dennis, Nancy Pelosi's Republican challenger, just uploaded this hilarious anti-TSA campaign ad. Wait for his parting shot at the very end of the clip. I busted up laughing:

http://youtu.be/O5UkE8sKvOk

To get serious for a second on a humor blog, I've got to say that what I really like about this ad, is that it's about an issue. Dennis doesn't take aim at his opponent with a tired, old attack ad featuring an unflattering black and white photo, scary music, and a quote taken out of context.

Dear candidates,