Christmas time, that wonderful time of year when we can pause and reflect on the first Christmas in America, with the Pilgrims exchanging gifts with the Indians in snowy New England.

After all, the Pilgrims came to America to avoid religious persecution, right?

Unfortunately, this view of American history, as well as the modern belief in a so-called 'War on Christmas,' are totally in err.

Otto von Bismarck famously stated, "politics is the art of the possible," yet in today's climate very little seems to be possible.  With two parties ensconced in demonizing each other and blocking virtually anything the other tries to do, common-sense solutions are hard to come by.

GOP presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul re-introduced a bill on Monday that would prevent funding for any executive order from President Obama that would enact gun control measures.

The Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act, which is currently being fast-tracked through the Senate, and could see a vote as early as next month, is an updated version of a bill that was introduced in the 2013-14 session.

The United States is often celebrated as the world’s leading example of representative government. However, we as a nation barely inspire half of our voters to show up for a national election—leaving U.S. voter participation among the lowest in the developed world.

China has wanted to expand its own currency into the world markets, recently being added to the SDR currency basket by the IMF.

But China has also long had its eyes on the continent of Africa, spending billions of dollars in development aid -- and building economic and strategic allies along the way.

Singling out a politician for honesty is a tough prospect.

Tennessee State Representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) said last week that he is drafting a bill that would decriminalize marijuana possession by military veterans in the state who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

There is no doubt that the networks have had a heyday turning the 2016 presidential primary debates into a sideshow, with at times all of the major contenders playing the role of the chief clown.

So great the sideshow that even President Obama has joined in mocking the utter ridiculousness of the candidates' demands -- he has nothing to lose, why not?

Bernie Sanders’ campaign was recently threatened with being locked out of the Democratic National Convention’s database—a devastating blow to any campaign, especially one buoyed by grassroots efforts. The penalty was in response to a Sanders staffer accessing data that was intended for the Hillary Clinton camp.

For the most part, people view the world and politics and make judgments through biases that color what they see and understood. Personal morals or political ideology is a powerful perception-biasing lens that operates intuitively, fast and unconsciously. In essence, this lens is a personal moral framework the mind uses to make sense of the world.