Social Security is the largest expense in the federal budget. Is it unreasonable for voters to expect candidates to know how the program works or the problems it faces?

Today, voters really don’t know.

It takes courage to be a police officer. A police officer puts their life on the line every day they clock in to work. The officers are given power and authority to complete their dangerous duties.

Occasionally, an officer bestowed with this power will abuse it. This can lead to false imprisonment, fines, and possibly death for an innocent citizen. If found guilty for this abuse of power, the officer could face the same penalties his victim faced.

The lawsuit that Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas filed against five makers of opioid painkillers was recently dismissed. This case is a great example of why local governments should not partner with private attorneys to sue businesses. We give governmental prosecutors great power because they can lock people up and because they represent us, the people. However, we also expect them to have a higher ethical duty – to try to be just and fair.

Money's significance in almost any political system can't be underestimated. Even before the days of the Athenian assembly, the wealthy have exerted significant, if not the most influence in the political process.

What a difference one election can make. In 2014, California experienced record low voter participation rates despite a gubernatorial election and several ballot measures. Voters just sat it out, tuned it out, or simply forgot it was happening.

NSA) data collection remains in limbo even as the legal landscape has changed and more private companies have been suspected of collecting data.

It's interesting that several during the Republican debate invoked President Kennedy's lofty goal of putting a man on the Moon in 10 years as an example of America's greatness -- when we can't even put a man into space right now.

Since the close of the space shuttle program in July 2011, America has relied on the Russian Space Agency for transporting people to the International Space Station and the Russians and private contractors to launch resupply missions.

With the way many people view government nowadays, it is typical for me to get a strange look when I tell someone that I work in politics. I get an even stranger look when I tell them that I have worked for both parties. I always have to explain that I feel like neither party addresses all of the issues that are important to me and, surprisingly, I have found that most people will agree with that statement.

Being a business mogul has never been a qualification for being the President of the United States. That is because the United States government is not a business. Being able to run a business, grow profits, and expand a company is not synonymous with being able to run a complex federal government that oversees 50 states.

The position of the President of the United States has almost universally been the purview of generals, law experts, and community activists and organizers. In short: people who have experience in governance and truly care about policy.

The latest headlines on nonpartisan voting rights from California and across the nation. Enjoy.