When Republicans allow our financial markets to operate in a state of nature, they should not be surprised by natural disasters.

The House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee met recently with experts to discuss the impact of speculators on the price of oil. The witnesses concluded that oil should be trading at $65 to $70 a barrel instead of $137. They claim index speculators are responsible for this inflation.

H.R. 3089, The No More Excuses Energy Act of 2007 authored by Rep. Mac Thornberry, is a Trojan horse offering the minimal amount of pleasantries to appear environmentally friendly, yet is green in terms of the color it will turn the pockets of Big Oil.

The Republican presidential primary has been nothing short of watching a rudderless boat race with no wind to fill the sails. All the Republican candidates have been going nowhere fast. Senator McCain just happened to get there first sparking quite a revolt among many conservatives causing the party to devolve into a repository of rancor and self-loathing.

Prior to Iowa caucus results and the New Hampshire primary, the Democratic primary race evolved to a point where there were two fundamentally different competing dialogues. The Clinton camp was running on experience while Edwards and Obama were running on change.

For far too long and too often, government has not operated in the best interest of the public it is supposed to serve.

Politico’s Mike Allen and Ben Smith decided to engage in a little Faux News-esque hatchet work with a tortured attempt to convince their readers that Obama is too liberal to win the general election. Allen and Smith’s lame story hinges on a 1996 questionnaire an Obama campaign staffer completed during his run for state office in Illinois. They claim some of his answers will assuredly provide Republicans ammunition for their ol’ antiquated wedge issue arsenal come election time.

Politics and elections are the most consequential aspects of our society. One does not need to be an historian or political scientist to understand this reality. After seven years of Bush Republican rule, I am optimistic and hopeful more Americans will now grasp the seriousness of elections and decide to become active participants.

A number of states are no longer waiting for the federal government to resolve the many issues stemming from illegal immigration. States are deciding to strike out on their own resulting in 182 bills becoming law in 43 states. The Washington Post reports this is cause for concern since many states’ laws are divergent in approach and could create obstacles for adoption of a national law. I, on the other hand, view this more an opportunity for a learning experience.

Intelligence gathering and sharing are proven means for effectively combating criminal activity. Texas presently gathers and shares intelligence among various law enforcement agencies utilizing a database called the Texas Data Exchange, or TDEx. One might reasonably assume the state’s top law enforcement agency is responsible for managing such a database. This is not the case. Instead, a Perry political appointee manages TDEx causing widespread concern over potential civil liberty abuses.