With Obamacare set to go into effect this coming January, the small-and medium sized business that typically create most of the new jobs will be at a severe disadvantage. That’s because the new federal health care law includes provisions that discourage companies from growing their operations to the point where they have over 49 employees. ObamaCare is already forcing some businesses to swap part-time positions for full-time positions.

New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner, a Democrat, purged the voter rolls of dead and ineligible voters in August. As a result, 163,221 voters were dropped from the rolls statewide, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. In June, the Republican-controlled Legislature overrode the veto of Democratic Gov. John Lynch to pass a new voter ID law that will be phased in over the next few years. Attorney General Eric Holder has been suing to take down voter identification laws in other states claiming they are in violation of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965.

“Another Delay!” “Another Victory!” That’s how environmental activists describe efforts in Saltillo, Texas aimed at scuttling production of the Keystone Pipeline XL in the Southwestern U.S. Since this portion of the pipeline does not extend across an international border, President Obama cannot step in to delay construction. TransCanada, the pipeline company based in Alberta, has settled upon a gradual, incremental approach to construction in lieu of U.S. approval for extending the line out of Canada.

New Jersey Republican delegates to the National Convention in Tampa, Fla. credited Gov. Chris Christie for vetoing a bill to create a health care exchange system earlier this year that could prove costly over time. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), otherwise known as Obamacare, states are expected to have exchanges established come January 2014, but there is not a strict requirement. In those states that decline, the feds will step in to create the exchange themselves.

Just a few hours after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling upholding Obamacare, top officials in Rhode Island made some revealing comments about how they intend to use their health benefit exchange system. It has become clear that they plan to use health care exchanges to create a one-stop-shopping “dependency portal” to dispense a range of welfare benefits. This is made all the more disturbing since President Obama has gutted the 1996 welfare reform law by executive fiat.

Gov. Mitt Romney has been talking a good game on energy policy. He will approve the Keystone XL Pipeline on his first day in office, and opposes the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulation of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) through the Clean Air Act. Those are all good signs from a free-market point of view. But where the concept of man-made global warming is concerned, the Republican presidential nominee is not exactly a skeptic.

Polls show that Gov. Mitt Romney could be competitive against President Obama in Pennsylvania, a must win state for Democrats. So, it should come as no surprise to learn that a coalition of left-wing attorneys have filed a “motor voter” suit against state officials aimed at accelerating highly questionable registration practices.

Louisiana parents and students who are ambitious to switch out of failing public schools have until June 30 to become part of history. That is the cut-off date for applications to be submitted to the state education department for scholarship funds that can be used to cover the full cost of private school tuition. In May, the state lawmakers approved what is arguably the most audacious and far reaching school voucher program in the entire country at the behest of Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Is there anything America’s political class is doing to undermine the nation’s geopolitical standing that a paid foreign agent of a hostile power could do better? The answer is: they would have a hard time improving upon an obscure provision of the 2007 “Energy Independence and Security Act” that prohibits the U.S. Department of Defense from purchasing any fuels that yield higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions than petroleum.

Richard Mourdock, the man who defeated long-time Senator Richard Lugar in Indiana’s Republican primary with 60 percent of the vote, is opposed to big government at home, and big government abroad. If elected in the general election, it appears there will be a fresh breeze blowing into the Senate coming from Indiana, and the stagnant air around the Potomac could sure use it.