Anyone who followed my blog postings for Elections 2012 and 2014 may easily imagine that I'm steeling myself for another disappointment in 2016. My powers of prognostication are probably no better than yours. However, I'm determined to have a little fun this time. I'm playing BallotCraft.

Playing BallotCraft is much like playing Fantasy Football. It doesn't matter if your favorite team wins or not. You win or lose based on the performance of the individual candidates that you select from every party and ideology. Your challenge is to pick the best performers from the field. 

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Points won with good choices will offset those lost on poor ones. Your overall score is based on the average of all the candidates you've selected.

Now, rather than annoying friends and family with your political views this campaign season, why not vent your spleen on your fellow players. There are discussion threads and a Chat Room where you can make new friends and political enemies.

The following was written by me on behalf of a candidate for Congress who sadly failed in his bid to represent his party. 

Whomever you elect to represent California's 45th Congressional District in Congress will be a freshman. Every one of your four candidates is equal. One claims an advantage because she has served in the California legislature; however, legislative experience in a state house doesn't apply. Congress and state houses resemble each other only superficially.

Sure, both Congress and state houses are bicameral. They have two chambers. However, six cases argued in the Supreme Court in 1963 and 1964, collectively known as the Reapportionment Cases, decided that states could not justify apportioning representation in their state senates on the same basis as the United States Senate.

The following was written by me on behalf of a candidate for Congress who sadly failed in his bid to represent his party. 

Wasn't this issue settled back in 1984 when President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act? I guess not. It appears that, like so much of the legislation coming out of Congress, it wasn't well-thought out. Maybe this is the problem with electing politicians to represent us in Washington.

Politicians will tell you whatever you want to hear. They'll stand in front of a group advocating amnesty and pronounce their support, and then rail against it at another venue. Ultimately, we don't know what they'll do when they reach Washington. Most likely, they'll ignore the issue unless it's shoved in their faces. That's when they'll craft another piece of legislation designed to offend the fewest voters, but not reconcile the issue, much like the 1984 legislation.

The following was written by me on behalf of a candidate for Congress who sadly failed in his bid to represent his party. 

My opponent in the race for California's 45th Congressional District, Mimi Walters, seems to have been so busy collecting gifts from special interests that she missed the news that China is no longer funding the US deficit. None but the Democrats can argue with her basic premise that "It's time to stop the borrowing and force Washington to live within its means, instead of stealing from the pockets of future generations or borrowing from China and other countries." However, she can't attack the issue if she doesn't have a clear understanding of it.

Mimi, China isn't funding America's deficit.

The following was written by me on behalf of a candidate for Congress who sadly failed in his bid to represent his party. 

Once upon a time juvenile delinquents were given a choice: Jail or military service. The military begged judges to stop the practice because it only served to fill the ranks with trouble makers. As weapon systems and battle field tactics became more complex, the problem was exacerbated by the fact that delinquents rarely had the aptitude for military service. It seems that some lawmakers would reignite the issue. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) and Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) have introduced amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act that would grant amnesty to illegal aliens who join the military. Democrats in the House of Representatives would like nothing better than to use this legislation as a vehicle for slipping the Senate Schumer-Obama Amnesty Bill past the House.

The following was written by me on behalf of a candidate for Congress who sadly failed in his bid to represent his party. 

It's rare that anything critical of the Administration makes it into the news since Obama was elected President. This includes stories critical of the treatment of our veterans. The story of the secret waiting lists for veterans seeking treatment at an facility in Arizona was a rare exception in the news, but tragically not a rarity in the treatment veterans have been experiencing. A visit to any internet discussion group involving veterans will disabuse you of any notion that the VA has been doing an adequate job.

The following was written by me on behalf of a candidate for Congress who sadly failed in his bid to represent his party. 

In response to an article in the Santa Margarita Patch wherein I expressed my views on national defense, one reader challenged me with that question. Well, what can any one member of Congress do? Read Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile and then ask me that question. You may also watch the film version starring Tom Hanks, but you'll miss a lot of the key answers to your question.

Charlie Wilson, a member of Congress representing a district in Texas, felt that the United States should help the people of Afghanistan repel the Soviets who invaded their country in 1979. Despite indifference in Congress, a doubtful President, and a hostile State Department and CIA who tried to thwart his efforts, Charlie pressed forward. With the aid of a rogue CIA agent, Charlie secured funding and weapons for the insurgents known as the Mujaheddin. When he equipped them with shoulder-fired Stinger antiaircraft missiles, they were able to drive the Soviets away.

That's what one rinky dink Congressman from Texas was able to accomplish. Why couldn't I have a similar impact on the Pentagon where our national treasure is being wasted on weapons systems that our warriors don't want or need while our soldiers, sailors, and airmen are going without proper training and suffering cuts in pay and benefits?

The following was written by me on behalf of a candidate for Congress who sadly failed in his bid to represent his party. 

How well do you remember the movie Bettlejuice? After dying in an auto accident, Barbara and Adam return to their home and find a copy of the Handbook for the Recently Deceased on a table.

Sound familiar? The greatest complaint that we hear from patients in Canada and England is that they won't be seen. They wait for hours to be seen by a triage nurse, then months and years to be treated. Yes, the waiting room for the dead depicted in Beetlejuice is a very apt metaphor.

The following was written by me on behalf of a candidate for Congress who sadly failed in his bid to represent his party. 

As if it wasn't bad enough they eliminated civics from the curriculum, now, under Common Core, they're making a mockery of civility and the Constitution. In a recent survey, more high school students could name the Three Stooges than could name the three branches of government. Obviously, the educators who design our schools' curricula couldn't care less. Why should you?

The simple answer as to why we should care about civics is that poorly educated members of our society are making poor decisions that lead to our nation's problems. The following statement that appeared in a Czech newspaper editorial says it best:

The following was written by me on behalf of a candidate for Congress who sadly failed in his bid to represent his party. 

Many years ago, there was a popular television series about the special relationship between a government agent and the Chiracahua Apaches: Broken Arrow. The agent, Tom Jeffords, and the Apache Chief, Cochise, maintained a tenuous peace by dint of their personal relationship and honor. Ostensibly, the story was based in reality, but how could that be? How could we suspend disbelief to accept the show's premise that a government agent could be honorable? Consider the trail of broken promises – broken arrows – left by our current Administration as regards the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act popularly known as Obamacare: