As a Republican Mean Girl, I talk a lot about getting the government out of our day-to-day lives. Let us keep more of our own money to spend and stimulate the economy as we see fit. Don’t tell me what kind of health insurance to buy. Don’t force me to send my kids to a school based on my zip code instead of my choice.

As much as I don’t like the government meddling in my life, I recognize that it is a necessary evil to maintain a civilized society. There are legitimate functions of government, like law enforcement, that keep us from devolving into Lord of the Flies-like chaos.

Criminal justice is an important part of what makes America awesome. Your rights end where someone else’s begin, or, as my friend Jimmie Bise once succinctly put it, “My right to swing my fist through the air ends where your nose begins.” The police are there to (among other things) arrest the bad guys that violate other people’s rights to life, liberty, and property, thus keeping order in our communities.

So what happens when the police stop doing their job? We’re about to find out in Topeka, KS, where the city council has voted to stop prosecuting domestic violence cases because there’s just not enough money.

Seriously? Of all the ways to pinch pennies, we’re supposed to believe that leaving women vulnerable to abusive partners is the best option? There’s not another line in the budget that could be cut so that the police can do their job and protect Americans? This calls for The Google, my friends.

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In what quickly became the headline story from the results of the Illinois Primary on February 2nd, Scott Lee Cohen was nominated as the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor. This charming gentlemen spent around $2-$3 million of his own money to win the election.  Here is where things get weird.

Dem Lt Gov Candidate Scott Lee Cohen

The Chicago Tribune, in writing on his victory, immediately highlighted he was charged with domestic battery. Then news came fast and furious. He was a chronic user of anabolic steroids. He was abusive to his wife and children and even went so far as to try to “force himself” on her. He held a knife to his prostitute girlfriend’s throat. As he was spending millions running for office, he was a dead beat dad falling behind on child support payments he obviously could afford. His divorce file was found and put online. Those documents were not even sealed.

This, of course, presents a huge problem for Illinois Democrats. The Lt. Governor runs independent in the Primary but in the General the Governor and Lt. Governor are paired.  Governor Pat Quinn is, understandably, less than pleased. However, by law, there is no way to get rid of the Lt. Governor candidate unless that person drops out. To say the Democrats are in a state of panic is to put it mildly.

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