Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States (1935) resulted in the defeat of a major provision of President Roosevelt’s “New Deal” and further efforts would not succeed until Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938. A national minimum wage was established at $0.25 per hour.

wrote an article where he argued that:

As previously reported on IVN, a coalition of third party and nonpartisan groups, including the Independent Voter Project, are combining resources in an effort to produce Open Debates 2016.

Nineteen years have passed since Angus King was elected Governor of Maine as an independent, sixteen since wrestler Jesse Ventura “shocked the world” by beating two well-funded rivals in Minnesota, and four since Lincoln Chafee vied for Rhode Island’s highest office. While history is scattered with such examples of successful independent candidacies, it is no secret that the Republicans and Democrats have a strangle hold over the political process; those outside the duopoly rarely have their voices heard.

The number of Americans who identify with either Republicans or Democrats has either stagnated or declined significantly. Consequently, 42 percent of Americans now self-identify as independent; the highest percentage in Gallup history.

Democrats have managed to maintain a 2010-level of party registration, but the Gallup poll found:

If equal affection cannot be,

Let the more loving one be me .

--W.H. Auden

One of the more comforting myths of the modern political age is that the government in our country has become dysfunctional because it no longer represents the people. The reality, I fear, is much worse news: Government has become dysfunctional because it does represent the people—and the people are dysfunctional.

restrictions on ballot access for third parties in Ohio. The decision is a victory for third parties in the state as well as advocates for greater ballot access for candidates not affiliated with the two mainstream political parties.

erroneously?) to the 19th-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, speaks volumes.

Facts, as often reported, may be based on statistics. Statistics are based on data -- data which is inherently based on a collection of opinions. The danger of statistics is that what we often see reported as fact may not be as reliable as we are led to believe.

midterm elections in November wondering how a new congressional makeup might change the current political deadlock or reinvigorate the last two years of President Obama’s term in office.

As 2013 came to a close, Global Democracy Ranking published its annual report on the quality of democracy around the world, including a list of the best and worst democracies. Global Democracy Ranking is a non-profit organization based in Vienna, Austria and has been studying the growth and quality of democracy around the world for a decade.