A lot of independents like Rand Paul because he's so different from a lot of U.S. Senators who go to Washington to lie low, not make any waves, bring back something for the constituents, and enjoy the smooth sailing of a cush job in a prestigious career pinnacle position. Maybe despite (or because of) a completely undistinguished career in the Senate chamber with no controversial stands or anything important, they'll get tapped to be Vice President.

As we get older, and hopefully wiser, we generally start to become more discerning on how we view the world and the problems we face. Many of us who seek to make the world a better place try to look at the problems, analyze them, and do what we can to correct them.

However, because there are so many different problems facing us, this approach often overwhelms us and can instill a sense of hopelessness in our ability to create positive change.

 "I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset."

- Langston Hughes

In February, I traveled from New York City, where I live, to New Orleans to attend the Unrig the System Summit, a gathering of over 1,500 people from all 50 states, focused on how to reform our dysfunctional political system.

Nicole Capretz is the founder of the Climate Action Campaign. She was the primary author of the City of San Diego's groundbreaking, legally binding clean energy Climate Action Plan adopted in late 2015. An environmental attorney for more than 20 years, Capretz has acted as a climate justice policy advisor for local governments and the nonprofit sector and she has played a pivotal role in helping other cities adopt their clean energy climate plans, and she is a prominent advocate for Community Choice Energy in southern California.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos offered to shoot Donald Trump into outer space back in 2015 after a stinging Trump tweet. Last week a barrage of Amazon aimed twitter missives arrived in the world’s inbox courtesy of the White House. No one knows where Bezos wants the President to go now. We can only guess.

Amazon stock dipped to $1,377 at the kickoff of renewed barbs on Thursday. It was not helped by a broader tech sell-off compounded by China trade war fears. Analysts yelled, "It's Trump and Amazon and China!"

The track record for winning an election as an independent is far from good. However, Neal Simon of Maryland hopes to strengthen those numbers come November. We sat down with the U.S. Senate candidate to discuss how he plans to win, the issues he would tackle if elected, and how he would impact the people of Maryland. Check out the full interview below.

FWM: Tell us a little bit about the day you decided to run for a U.S. Senate seat.