In the past, party affiliation was beneficial for presidential candidates when it came to getting elected. Republicans and Democrats may likely have a team favorite: perhaps George H.W. Bush for the GOP or John F. Kennedy for the Democrats. Independents (or non-affiliated voters), on the other hand, are a fickle bunch.

1. Independents and major parties are responding to primary system in Arizona now that independents are the largest voting bloc.

"They long ago surpassed Democrats and this year they passed Republicans.

I really dropped the ball on this one by not following up sooner. In March, I posted the story about a young man, Jordan Wiser, who had been arrested for bringing a knife to technical school.

Americans have long been presented with a false choice when it comes to social welfare. People can either expose themselves to the capriciousness of free markets and whimsical private “charity” or capitulate to faceless government bureaucracies that are largely unaccountable to the people they are allegedly serving.

Paternalistic neglect or maternalistic smothering, pick a fate. The losers in either case are the impoverished and genuine self-government. 

In past elections, seven-term U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D) would not have to worry about a serious challenge to his incumbency. Honda represents California’s 17th Congressional District in Silicon Valley, where Democrats have won elections without any competition for over two decades.

Honda, who was elected to his first term in Congressional District 15 in 2000, has won every re-election campaign with over 65 percent of the vote. In fact, he garnered over 70 percent in 4 general elections since taking office.

Most Americans have come to see our political system as highly dysfunctional.

According to a new report from the inspector general (IG) at the Department of Commerce, paralegals and attorneys at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board wasted more than $5 million receiving pay and benefits while doing their laundry, walking their dogs, or shopping online. Managers were aware of the problem, but did little to stop it, telling investigators that they believed it would resolve itself.

1. Albuquerque Journal says open primaries are something Democrats and Republicans can agree on.

"More than one in five voters in New Mexico declined to state a party when registering to vote. About 38 percent of registered voters ages 18 to 24 fall into that category.

Chances are you clicked on this link in order to confirm whatever partisan narrative you happen to have. Maybe you want to understand how conservative policies and practices, at a deep and fundamental level, were responsible for the death of one of America’s best-loved entertainers. You know that conservatives are dangerous, and this just proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt.