This week the Colorado Department of Revenue released tax figures for the state's first month of legal recreational marijuana sales and they are already comparable to tax receipts from alcohol sales, delivering on the promises of marijuana activists that legal marijuana could mean big revenue for state governments.

 

Recently, news headlines have surfaced about a 7-year-old boy and his parents' fight to be allowed access to the experimental drug CMX001 to fight off a viral infection which spread due to a bone marrow transplant, weakening his immune system. Tears and tempers ignited worldwide attention on Internet news sites from Chimerix's (the manufacturer) initial denial of “compassionate usage” of the drug. Joyful shouts of praise followed just days later when the company reversed its decision. Was it the right decision?

The political landscape in the United States is changing. The electorate is frustrated with the two dominant political parties as they have completely abandoned voters for their own interests. If current trends continue (and they are showing no signs of reverse), it will not be long before half of the national voting age population self-identifies as unaffiliated with either major party, most dropping any kind of party label at all.

Seven Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent have stepped up to claim the West Virginian House seat U.S. Representative Shelley Moore Capito (R-02) is vacating for a shot at the Senate.

The House position for the Mountain State’s 2nd Congressional District — which Capito has held safely for six terms — remains a closely watched domino that Republicans hope will once again fall in their direction come the November midterms.

Residents of California know that water has been a growing concern in the state for many years now, but the problem has gotten so bad that California has declared a state of emergency -- the first time in 54 years. Up to 160,000 rural Californians live in communities that are having difficulty providing safe drinking water, according to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), and things are only getting worse.

A whistle-blower is someone who reports or exposes unethical or illegal behavior occurring in an institution while working for that institution. In a free, open state, whistle-blowers have safe, legally-protected avenues to expose wrongdoing and promote the public interest. In these states, whistle-blowers and journalists provide an invaluable public service for which they are protected and rewarded.

It could be the end for bailed-out mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as we know them, if recent bipartisan support for their elimination means anything.

U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, unveiled a proposed agreement with ranking member Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) on Tuesday that would wind down the government-sponsored enterprises over the course of 5 years.