The campaign trail today will hold caucuses in both Minnesota and Colorado, with a primary in Missouri...

As two-party rhetoric heats up over reviving the U.S. economy, a new Gallup survey indicates that large majorities of Independents are siding more with Democrats on certain economic proposals than Republicans.

Rather than charging a flat rate for electricity, major California power companies like PG&E and SCE are moving towards Time-Of-Use pricing. Rates rise when demand is highest and drop when demand is low. Thus, power will be most expensive in the middle of a hot day when air conditioners are on and lowest on nights when the temperature is about 70 and no heating or air conditioning is needed.

Some prominent politicians and commentators have argued that uncertainty about the future regulations applying to businesses is causing joblessness.  The argument is that many employers are holding back on new projects or hiring new employees because they’re unsure about the long-term regulatory picture. Conservatives are the primary source of this argument, but liberals also accuse conservatives of increasing uncertainty by trying to roll back regulation. Either way, the argument is deeply flawed.

California continues to witness a steady rise in the number of voters who choose not to affiliate with any political party. According to the most recent numbers released by the Secretary of State, 21.2% of California voters are now registered as having no party preference, a new high. The previous record was set in March of last year when 20.4% of all registered voters declined to state a party affiliation on their registration forms.

The confluence of the Susan G. Komen/Planned Parenthood debacle and the growth in anonymous corporate donations to presidential candidates serves as a reminder that the nation’s spending priorities are seriously skewed from the common good because of politics.