"The Tea Party has been a tremendously positive input, I think."                                                    --Eric Cantor, November 10, 2010

The election of 1820 was the beginning of the “Era of Good Feelings.” The Federalist Party of Hamilton, Washington, and Adams barely even existed and did not even field a candidate in the presidential election.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis released the current data for the total debt in the United States Economy on June 5, 2014 -- All Sectors; Credit Market Instruments; Liability, Level (TCMDO). While people, companies, and governments blamed bad weather for a dismal showing in economic activity, it appears they had little trouble finding their way to the banks to add on $471 billion in new debt.

Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Figures in billions of dollars)

Politico reports that U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has decided to stay out of the Mississippi U.S. Senate primary runoff race between state Senator Chris McDaniel and U.S. Senator Thad Cochran. The low turnout expected in the summer runoff election will give McDaniel an opportunity to unseat the incumbent.

“We’re not going to get involved,” Paul said.

In the wake of all of the controversy surrounding the release of five Guantanamo Bay detainees in exchange for the freedom of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a number of questions have been hotly debated and even more cliché catchphrases have been thrown around.

"Nobody gets left behind," was the phrase the Obama administration is using to justify the decision, while "we don't negotiate with terrorists," is the quote of choice for critics.

Is there a way to end gridlock forever? What about gerrymandering, closed primaries, and high-barrier requirements for outsiders? Even then, what about the complete dependence candidates have on a tiny group of funders that have corrupted our government?

When considered all together, we are back to a time of taxation without any meaningful representation. A conclusion that a recent Princeton study resoundingly confirms.

It is no surprise that the indefatigable Ralph Nader -- lawyer, author, consumer advocate, and five-time presidential candidate -- possesses a vision for how to energize and mobilize an electorate that feels increasingly dissatisfied and disempowered.

Long-time Democratic flak and personal friend, Bob Mulholland, unleashed one of his patented partisan diatribes on Monday in his on-going effort to breathe life into closed partisan primaries.

Like many deeply involved in partisan politics, Bob’s agenda depends upon winning plurality elections, preferably in low turnout environments. California’s nonpartisan system requires candidates to win a majority vote in the November election when the most people vote.

As a great debate raged in the United States over whether or not the Taliban should be classified as a “terrorist organization,” Jarad and Amanda Miller walked into a pizzeria in Las Vegas and murdered two policemen who were having lunch. They went on to kill a third bystander and then to kill themselves before the police arrived.

An Illinois term limits initiative looks to have enough valid signatures to appear on the November ballot even as some obstacles remain.

On May 30, Eric Shinseki resigned as the secretary of Veterans Affairs amid a growing controversy surrounding the administration and treatment of veterans at VA medical centers, something that is said to have contributed to at least 40 deaths due to delayed care, and has 42 VA medical centers and clinics embroiled in scandal.