Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and Representatives Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) today sent a letter to the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mary Jo White, urging the SEC to move forward with the proposed rule to implement Section 201 of the bipartisan Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act.

South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard announced today that he will appoint David L. Anderson to the vacant seat in the State House of Representatives, representing District 16. Anderson will succeed Rep. Patty Miller, who resigned earlier this year.

Word has it Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is reaching out specifically to evangelicals and other social conservatives. While he shares many of his father Ron Paul’s libertarian ideas, he describes himself as more of a traditional conservative. If this is accurate, he could be a formidable presidential candidate in 2016.

Tomislav Nikolic, the president of Serbia, has just began an official state visit to Israel. This is the first time that President Nikolic has traveled to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, and perhaps the first time a leader of Serbia has done so. It is very fitting that Serbia and Israel should have political, economic and cultural ties as the similarities between each of the embattled nations are considerable and significant in historical terms. Like the ancient and modern Jewish state of Israel, Serbia has a magnificent and tragic history.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. - Psalm 19:1 Scoffers about miracles in the Bible like to mock a “talking snake” and so forth. A God who could create a vast universe filled with the stars and galaxies seen in the images in this video could easily create a talking snake or anything else he wanted to do. If you can believe Genesis 1:1, the rest of the Bible is gravy.

It cannot be stressed enough about the pull of emotion over logic and principles, even to the point of threatening societal order. Today’s Americans seem unable to recognize when they are being played. We all live by rules, regulations and laws which carry accountable punishments. If emotions are left at the courtroom door, how is it that this sentiment continues to be such a major player with regards to our governing? Could there be a reason for its promotion? And if so, is there a cost?

The coming mid-term elections may well be the most important in our lifetime. America faces a crisis as profound as the Revolution and as divisive as the Civil War. One day our grandchildren may ask us this question. Will we have an answer that will make us and them proud or will we have to sit silent knowing we stood silent when it was time to speak or remained passive when it was time for action?

On May 6, 2013, the Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA). If this legislation passes the House, it will require Internet-based businesses to collect state sales tax based on the shipping address for qualifying states. A state can qualify by simplifying its sales tax and providing software to the public to compute the tax.

An elderly woman from the Glen Park area of Gary asked me for help with a Medicare medical bill problem. She is a client of the insurance agency where I work. After I reviewed her papers, we phoned her insurance company and Medicare to ask questions. Our client got a $195 bill that she did not expect.