Columnists

I have learned that merely being medicated isn't enough to allow a mentally ill person recover and to maintain a good level of functioning. Environment is equally important. -more-

We're less than two weeks away from the November 6th midterm elections and the strategies of each party are well defined. Democrats are determined to rally their base and to encourage Independents and inconsistent voters to go to the polls. Republicans are determined to get out their base and to suppress the vote of everyone else.

The GOP voter-suppression strategy has two parts. At the national level, Donald Trump fans fear by suggesting there is widespread voter cheating. In a recent Tweet, Trump wrote: "All levels of government and Law Enforcement are watching carefully for VOTER FRAUD, including during EARLY VOTING. Cheat at your own peril. Violators will be subject to maximum penalties, both civil and criminal!" (A recent report from The Brennan Center (https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/voter-fraud ) found that voter fraud is "very rare.) The Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights observed: "President Trump's statement regarding vote fraud is one of the most naked attempts to promote voter suppression that we have seen in modern times."

The second part of the GOP voter-suppression strategy is at the state level. There have been Republican voter-suppression laws enacted in 15 states (Arizona to Texas). The Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights noted; "This administration and the Justice Department's silence regarding widespread voter suppression has been deafening. To date, this Justice Department has failed to file a single case to enforce the Voting Rights Act and has failed to take any action to protect the rights of minority voters." -more-

Republicans claim that their $1.5 trillion tax overhaul last year had nothing to do with this, but experts estimate that the tax overhaul will result in about $1.45 trillion in net deficits over a decade. -more-

Where's Gavin?

If you want to read how Gavin Newsom stacks up against John H. Cox in the gubernatorial race, you'll come up blank. While Cox has his statement in the Voter Information Guide, Newsom's slot—unlike everybody else in the race—is blank. Newsom was disqualified for raising too much campaign money. Turns out, if you raise more than $14.5 million, you can't place a statement in the Voters' Guide. (Note to Gavin: It might have been worth foregoing a half-mil in donations to avoid looking like some entitled twerp who overlooks important details.)

Another fun fact: Nobody gets a candidate statement into the Voters Guide until they fork over $250 to have it posted. -more-