"I’m not a Democrat first, I’m an American first. I believe we rise and fall as one nation, as one people. What’s stopping us is our politics." -President Obama today at a campaign stop in Ohio.

(h/t TPM)

The base word “tax” comes from Greek and means “arrangement” or “order.” The Supreme Court recently ruled that the federal government has the power to enforce the penalties in the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act under its constitutional power to tax. I can't help but remember that the American Revolution and Declaration of Independence took place so many years ago because of taxes.

Independents overwhelmingly find this year's presidential election "annoying" and "dull", according to a new poll by Pew Research Center. In fact, majorities across the board for partisans and non-partisans show a chilly response to the present presidential campaign cycle. The number of respondents finding the election "dull" increased in June, too. Many find the campaigns too long, albeit important.

Taser deaths by police in Vermont and elsewhere clearly show that it is time for a moratorium on what the UN calls a "torture weapon."

In a poll released today from Rasmussen 47% of Americans think Obama's political views are extreme, while just 31% think Romney's are extreme.

As a Scotsman living in the U.S. I get the same question, often in tones of anticipatory schadenfraude, every Fourth of July, "How do you feel watching us all celebrate our Independence Day?"

But few expect the answer, "Jealous!"

Personal and government debt have each grown faster than the US population over the past 40 years. Here's an infographic about the growth in average personal debt over time in the United States as well as each American's share of the national debt, which has grown even faster over the same time period:

Throughout history, we remember names like George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis deLafayette, Paul Revere and many more.  What we don't know are the names of countless others that laid down their lives for our independence.  They are the ones who's stories are not told... lost in time and forgotten.  They believed in a cause... a new concept that no one was certain would succeed, but still they pressed on.  They survived brutal winters, hot summers, and camp diseases.  They sacrificed everything to be free from tyranny.