In December 2014, President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed by Congress to provide the budget and appropriations to sustain the Department of Defense. Tucked into the bill at the last minute – and without public debate – was a provision to hand thousands of acres of protected land in Arizona to an international mining company.

As an independent, I've often wondered why I chose to think outside of the box as opposed to following the seemingly obvious route of group-think.

I believe it has more to do with my upbringing which, when it came to politics, was never filtered. My parents taught me that there were principles one should personally have and that I should always follow my personal conscience.

On Wednesday, the Annenberg Working Group on Presidential Campaign Debate Reform -- a bipartisan group of officials from past presidential campaigns -- released a report with a number of recommendations to help "democratize" the presidential debate process ahead of the 2016 election.

The group's recommendations include:

Republicans had a big year in 2014. They firmed up their hold on the House of Representatives and made a run at taking control of the U.S. Senate.

It was just the kind of year that, historically, has produced Republican wins in the 52nd Congressional District. But Democrats held the 52nd, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal showing, particularly in swing districts like that one.

Hillary Clinton's refined campaign message is focusing on what she has called "Four Fights For You." Unlike a single-issue campaign, these four fights encompass an enormous range of interests that all focus on building (or continuing to build) a positive America, while limiting the damage of those who want to go backwards.

On Friday, June 12, Tyler Harber was sentenced to serve two years in prison, making him the first person to be convicted and jailed for unlawfully coordinating activities between a super PAC and a federal campaign.

The sentencing serves as a caveat to congressional and presidential campaigns and their allied groups about the need to ensure compliance with federal campaign election laws in the run-up to the 2016 election.

The Guardian reported Monday on a new study that says there is no evidence that marijuana legalization in the U.S. has led to a spike in use among teenagers. Some opponents of legalization for medicinal and/or recreational use worry about the effect less restrictive laws could have on teenagers and young adults, suggesting that greater permissiveness would lead to an increase in use.

The Guardian reports:

Donald Trump announced Tuesday his intentions to run for president in 2016. While many treat Trump's candidacy as a joke, he insists that he is the real deal.

"Our country needs a truly great leader, and we need a truly great leader now," Trump said during his announcement speech. "We need somebody that can take the brand of the United States and make it great again."

Historically, when an election has a wide-open field of candidates, both inside and outside of the two-party system, it's a symptom of America facing a major crossroads.

Sometimes it's a party ideological battle, like in our third presidential election of 1796 -- where the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans struggled with the new identity of the nation they helped create.

Back in May, Bernie Sanders started his 2016 presidential campaign with a pledge not to run personal attack ads. On Friday, he reiterated his campaign philosophy during an interview with Andrea Mitchell, saying he won't use personal attacks in an attempt to win the presidency: