Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, has announced that he has left the Republican Party and become an independent. Or I guess I should say: Independent (note the capital "I"). This is so he can run as a third-party candidate for President of the United States in 2008. He even plans to pony up his own money, claiming that this makes him beholden to no special interest groups. Bloomberg has made some savvy but bald-faced political decisions in the past. A lifelong Democrat, Bloo...

Okay, so here's the deal: Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) won $853,492 in the recent Powerball drawing. On a whim, he says, he bought a few tickets while stopping for gas in DC. Random numbers. We should all employ such fiscal responsibility. Mathematically challenged senators who head the budget committee... yeah. The kicker: he's already a millionaire. I guess the old adage is true: his NEXT million was the easiest!

I am a Republican, though I take great pride in knowing that while I have a desire to see the Republican agenda move forward, I do not just vote mindlessly, based on parenting or any other external influence. I try to be as open-minded as possible when it comes to politics, and try to "vote my conscience" as best I can. It just so happens that my conscience leads me to vote for the Republicans. It definitely wasn't parenting. I was raised by a crazed anti-establishment father and a mother...