If President Obama were to enroll in an American government class, the professor would mark him absent on most days. In the first 100 days of his second term, the president has failed to show up to class, take notes and complete the daunting task of rising to the challenges facing him.

Mercedes Schlapp

Men Government Would

Pretending that voter fraud does not exist puts the integrity of our voting process at risk.

Mercedes Schlapp

Voting Voter Fraud Voter

Voter fraud especially matters when elections are close.

Mercedes Schlapp

Voter Fraud Voter Vote

The likeability and popularity of 'Duck Dynasty's' Phil Robertson stem from his quick wit and honest assessment of situations that arise in reality television.

Mercedes Schlapp

Men Wit Vision

Unfortunately, our country has become so politically polarized that one side routinely attempts to destroy and discredit the other.

Mercedes Schlapp

Unfortunately Unfortunate UN

War is brutal, barbaric and bloody.

Mercedes Schlapp

War T Rut

Great leaders find a way to rise above politics while at the same time keeping their party's loyalists in the fold.

Mercedes Schlapp

Time Politics Great

How many times did your parents tell you to eat your food because there were starving children in Africa? Throwing away food was considered a sin in my family.

Mercedes Schlapp

Time Food Family

If a student believes that taking too many exams is hard or skipping advanced courses for a lighter load is a better deal, just wait until he or she goes to college and needs to prepare for finals or has to figure out complex work problems in a stressful environment.

Mercedes Schlapp

Work Men Wait

Scandals have impacted many politicians' careers and aspirations. Some have survived, and others have fallen.

Mercedes Schlapp

Car Ted T

Republicans need to unite to succeed.

Mercedes Schlapp

Unite Unit UN

Americans hate traffic jams and also dislike power-hungry political figures.

Mercedes Schlapp

Power UN Traffic

Everyone can relate to being stuck in a traffic jam.

Mercedes Schlapp

Very Tuck Traffic

What makes America's election system unique is the fact that even when elections are close, we find a resolution, which leads to the peaceful transition of power that remains one of the most important tenets of our democracy.

Mercedes Schlapp

Power Peace Which

I know we can all remember the days of sitting in algebra class asking ourselves, 'why will I need algebra or chemistry in the future?' The answer was and still remains that advanced math and science classes help high school students develop their analytical and cognitive skills and better prepare them to compete in college and the workplace.

Mercedes Schlapp

Work Science Pet

Is Trump correct that we should stop the flow of illegal immigrants? Yes, but again, words matter, and there is a way to engage voters on this issue without creating fear and insulting many hard-working Hispanics who love this country.

Mercedes Schlapp

Work Love Legal

More and more job fields require some form of higher education, and the pressure is on for schools to adequately prepare our students to compete both nationally and globally and help drive economic growth.

Mercedes Schlapp

Pet Education T

Americans are waking up to the tragedy of abortions.

Mercedes Schlapp

Age Waking Up Waking

Christians and religious individuals are quickly demonized and not tolerated by the dogmatic left if their views differ.

Mercedes Schlapp

Views View Us

Thousands of children entering the country illegally have become the face of the immigration crisis in the U.S.

Mercedes Schlapp

Legal USA Us

Roe v. Wade used raw judicial power to overturn the democratically passed laws in every state in the country and remove state restrictions on abortion.

Mercedes Schlapp

Power Very Used

Despite his critics, Rubio has skillfully managed the expectations of many conservatives and effectively made his case for immigration reform, while working with other members to continuously improve the legislation.

Mercedes Schlapp

One 'I am woman/Hear me roar' speech may play well with her allies in the media, but women need to look beyond her rhetoric and the snazzy ads. If they do, they'll quickly realize that the Hillary Clinton who bashed women and called them bimbos in the 1990s is the real Hillary Clinton running for the White House in 2016.

Mercedes Schlapp

Legal immigrants deserve respect for following the laws of our nation and completing the process. This is not an extreme concept. It is a matter of simply protecting our nation's sovereignty and knowing who is coming into our nation.

Mercedes Schlapp

Faith is a gift. Some feel like they were never blessed with it, others just casually let it fall away.

Mercedes Schlapp

A campaign adviser can change the outside appearance of the candidate, but the ideology and personality of the candidate remains the same.

Mercedes Schlapp

Employing a low-key, Midwestern charisma, Mike Pence proved he knows how to win over an audience.

Mercedes Schlapp

On the IRS website, they claim to be one of the world's most efficient tax administrators. The IRS officials might know how to collect taxes, but surely know how to misspend the funds.

Mercedes Schlapp

Republicans want less taxes so we can create jobs; however, we cannot win by solely focusing on an economic message of lower taxes and smaller government.

Mercedes Schlapp

While childless couples are constantly asked, 'Why they are not having children,' my husband and I are bombarded with a different set of questions: 'Why would you have so many?' or 'Are you done having children?'

Mercedes Schlapp

For my family, belief in God and in the resurrection of Jesus Christ brings such hope and promise to our lives. It strengthens our family and our marriage as we focus on Christ as our example of pure love, compassion and tolerance towards others. This positive message is one that helps us become better people each day.

Mercedes Schlapp

Mr. Trump has tapped into the frustrations of many Americans who feel the effects of a dismal economy and believe the political system is rigged and owned by the establishment.

Mercedes Schlapp

Mrs. Clinton is the embodiment of a corrupt establishment owned by special interests, having personally enriched herself by giving closed-door speeches to Wall Street firms and the big banks.

Mercedes Schlapp

The king of branding, Mr. Trump performs best when he is on the defense.

Mercedes Schlapp

The tentacles of Islamic State are far-reaching, and the restrained and tepid international response that Mr. Obama has pursued will not eliminate this terrorist organization.

Mercedes Schlapp

Even setting aside her checkered record in the Senate and the State Department, it is Mrs. Clinton's flagrant contradictions on women's issues that expose her true character.

Mercedes Schlapp

Of course, deciding whether or not to have children is a personal decision, but I would encourage couples to stay open to the idea that having a child or adopting provides both personal and societal benefits.

Mercedes Schlapp

I am a perfect case study for the transition from no maternal instinct to the love of motherhood.

Mercedes Schlapp

I remember being one of those women who never imagined I would get married and have children. You ask any of my high school friends, and I would have been voted in the class to be the least likely to get married or have children.

Mercedes Schlapp

In the end, the responsibility of government abuse lies with the president.

Mercedes Schlapp

If President Obama were to enroll in an American government class, the professor would mark him absent on most days. In the first 100 days of his second term, the president has failed to show up to class, take notes and complete the daunting task of rising to the challenges facing him.

Mercedes Schlapp

A number of states are starting to strengthen their anti-abortion laws because the more we learn of abortion tactics the harder it is for Americans to support these inhumane procedures.

Mercedes Schlapp

If the American people - pro-choice and pro-life - cannot agree with the basic concept that the life of a baby born alive following a botched abortion should be protected, then when do the rights of these babies begin?

Mercedes Schlapp

Lower standards tell students that they don't need to work hard and leave more high school students unprepared for college and the workplace.

Mercedes Schlapp

Part of me believes that Beyonce and Jay-Z were naive when they chose to celebrate their five-year wedding anniversary in Cuba. However, as the daughter of a former political prisoner in Cuba, I would argue that they should have known better than to travel to the island and support its repressive regime.

Mercedes Schlapp

The Cuban people do not live in freedom.

Mercedes Schlapp

Cuba is a nation stuck in time, and the regime's complete control of businesses, the press and the Internet has kept the Cuban people from advancing and achieving their dreams.

Mercedes Schlapp

If Beyonce and Jay-Z had been born and raised in Cuba, they would have merely survived, with no opportunity to realize their aspirations. Only in a land that treasures liberty and the pursuit of happiness can such dreams become a reality.

Mercedes Schlapp

What hurts the GOP is when we have leaders placing the blame on other leaders within the party.

Mercedes Schlapp

Republicans can win if they adopt a message and promote policies of conscientious conservatism where they lay out a vision of how to solve our nation's problems, while at the same time push for a message of responsible and efficient government that focuses on accountability and results.

Mercedes Schlapp

Republicans need to define and present specific policies on how to eradicate poverty, help every child achieve a quality education, and lower the cost of increasing health premiums.

Mercedes Schlapp