Just about everyone these days seems to be either overcome with fear or anger in this election cycle, and for good reasons. It might not be pretty, but that's one of the major benefits of having elections every few years...it helps to air out our republic and allows for a re-examination of where we stand as a nation, a repudiation of things we don't like, and a re-affirmation of things we do like.

As a middle of the road independent that is just as underwhelmed as the rest of America with the options we have to choose from come November, let me just say that I get it.

The hardest part of getting people to adopt a new paradigm concerning anything of any import and complexity is getting them to unlearn their old one. A paradigm comprises all the assumptions and concepts that we subconsciously (or unconsciously) use to perceive the world, and they are not destroyed easily.

That word “perceive” is used advisedly: our concepts, which constitute our paradigm, determine not only how we interpret our world, but how we see it.

Senate Candidate Everett Stern identifies an all-consuming sense of apathy as one of the major problems facing America today. Apathy and cynicism, he says, have robbed citizens of their hopes and dreams, and all but snuffed out the spirit of innovation that once helped this nation become a world leader. Having persevered through significant personal challenges, Stern sees a light in the darkness; reaching that light requires a re-investment in values like integrity, freedom, justice and truth.

As is the nature of a federal republic, all too often major presidential elections come down to just a handful of states. This year, it's beginning to look like ten states will make or break the presidential bids for the White House:

The Democrats have a slight lead in the secure electoral votes. Being able to consistently claim California is definitely a major boost.