Applications for jobless benefits dropped substantially during the week ending September 22. The advance seasonably adjusted figure was 359,000, which is a decline of 26,000 from the previous week’s revised 385,000. First-time unemployment claims are at a two-month low.

Greed is a big theme in this election. It’s easy to blame this on politicians, but they are playing to the prevailing mindset of voters. Psychologists did much to create that entitlement mindset. Modern psychology spins rationalizations that support the politics of greed, helping people feel good about their own greed by pointing to the greed of others.

US Representative Pete Stark is facing his first serious reelection challenge in years against a fellow Democrat for the redrawn 15th Congressional District. Eric Swalwell hopes to unseat an incumbent that has been in office since Richard Nixon’s second presidential term.

US Representative Pete Stark is facing his first serious reelection challenge in years against a fellow Democrat for the redrawn 15th Congressional District. Eric Swalwell hopes to unseat an incumbent that has been in office since Richard Nixon’s second presidential term.

Last week, the Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation took a deep examination of the political parties and their constituents, the results of which were published on August 20. In this in-dept look at the independent voter, the Washington Post found that 7 out of 10 independent voters favor compromise to confrontation, suggesting that partisan politicians should cross party lines more often than not.