On Wednesday, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla sent out the latest voter registration numbers, touting a record number of registered voters. According to the report, voters registered as No Party Preference (independent) or with an unqualified political party are close to outnumbering registered Republicans.

Americans spend nearly $2.6 trillion each year on healthcare, but have some of the lowest life expectancies in the developed world. In addition, rates of infant mortality, diabetes, and other chronic conditions are at an all-time high when compared to the rest of the globe.

Part of the reasoning behind the high rates of disease and decreased lifespan, public health experts note, is a lack of preventative care in the United States.

https://twitter.com/RonPaul/status/843891138507497474

While many people associate the neoconservative, or "neocon," ideology with the Republican Party, it actually has roots in the Democratic Party. Now, its hawkish ideals are deeply engrained in both major political parties, which means that when it comes to foreign policy, the duopoly leaves us little alternatives.

Perhaps one of the most counterintuitive hallmarks in American politics is the inverse trend between growing public dissatisfaction with government and the high incumbent re-election rate. Over 97 percent of Congress was re-elected last year in spite of growing anti-incumbent sentiment.

"Sometimes we in our discourse today ... use labels as a way to not engage with other people, to treat and divide us and them. And as a judge, I don't think that is a fair or appropriate or useful way to engage in discourse." - Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch

Judge Neil Gorsuch is in the middle of his confirmation hearings to become the next associate justice of the Supreme Court. He will spend two total days being grilled by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in a hearings process that will actually last the better part of the week.

PUERTO RICO BEAT THE NETHERLANDS 4-3 IN 11 INNINGS LAST NIGHT AT DODGER STADIUM, and will play the winner of tonight’s USA/Japan game tomorrow evening in the Ravine, still haunted by ghosts of displaced Hispanic families.

The contest last night was brilliantly played by both sides, as have so many of these games of the WBC, and whoever wins Wednesday night, whether USA, Puerto Rico, or Japan, will be true world champions.

Earlier this year, Maine senators called on the state Supreme Court to give an advisory opinion on the constitutionality of ranked choice voting as it was passed by voters in November 2016 for state and federal elections. A responsive brief has now been filed by Marshall J. Tinkle in favor of the ranked choice voting ballot initiative.

The perception in Washington is that if one side is for something, the other side will stand against it. From health care to immigration reform to job creation and more, the partisan establishments on both sides of the aisle could not appear further apart.

Yet if there is one issue that the political elite in Washington can agree on it is the expansion of the surveillance state, even at the risk of Americans' privacy. Democrats and Republicans have jointly taken several actions in modern history that have expanded the size and scope of the "Deep State."

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade agreement between mostly Asia-Pacific countries. The original countries included the United States, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Canada, Peru, Australia, Brunei, Chile Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and possibly Korea in the future.

America exited this agreement with an executive order issued by President Trump on January 23, 2017, just two days after he entered office.

The inclusion in this trade pact would have affected about 40 percent of America's imports and exports.

Portland, ME – March 21, 2017 – Mainers for Open Elections, a state organization working for open elections at all levels, and Open Primaries, a national leader on election reform, released a new survey that shines a light on the disconnect between Maine voters and the current political system. The survey identifies broad support for reforming the state’s primary elections.