It was confirmed by the Pentagon on Monday morning that U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is stepping down from his post. A senior official at the defense department says it was a "mutual decision" between Hagel and the White House after weeks of discussions about the direction the administration wants to go in its final two years.

Illegal immigration has once again been thrust into the spotlight by President Obama's speech to the nation about his executive order on the subject. It had mostly taken a backseat during the election as neither side really wanted to talk about any issue facing the nation.

This post is not to say whether the executive order is good or bad... or even legal. The pundits are already out spinning the story as are Republican lawmakers in Congress. So let's look at what is being done by this executive order:

While political history is definitely one of my hobbies, psychology is my profession, and examining why people do the things they do has long interested me.

Each election year, we hear a constant stream of "I'm so sick of the negative ads this year..." from our friends and family. It seems that everyone hates them, so why do the candidates continue to use the strategy?

The simple answer: They work.

In fact, they work so well that they have been employed since the earliest days of the Republic.

With the midterm elections barely over, potential presidential candidates are already emerging. One anticipated Republican candidate is intriguing, but may also face some opposition as the party becomes better acquainted with him.

Former director of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Ben Carson, has never held office before and has been a favorite of conservative grassroots activists for nearly two years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBRlpzT5soc

Much has been said this month, both by and about the junior Republican senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul. During last week's appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, the late-night talk show host broached the possibility of supporting Paul in a 2016 presidential run. Maher said:

Even before President Obama announced his unilateral immigration plans to grant de facto amnesty to almost 5 million illegal immigrants on Thursday night, talk had already turned in some Republican circles to impeachment. With all the talk of impeachment in the past few years, one would think that it's a common place occurrence.

Let me start by acknowledging my own biases.

According to a recent Gallup poll published on Thursday, November 20, Americans who rate the job performance of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as "Excellent/Good" dropped 10 percentage points from May 2013 to 50 percent. Still the third-highest ranked government agency of the 13 respondents were asked to weigh in on, media coverage of Ebola cases in the United States played a significant role in the notable decline.

KFBK Poll: Do you think tuition should be increased at UC Campuses

Amid protests, the University of California’s Board of Regents voted 14 to 7 in favor of raising the cost of tuition 5 percent annually over the next 5 years. The vote ended a 3-year freeze. The regents' plan is focused on raising staff quality and bringing up admission levels within the ten-campus system. Despite possible admission boosts, future UC students and families will pay an additional $600-$700 in fees.

On November 20, Obama will announce his “go-it-alone” immigration plan.