This fall will see some important races of local interest on the ballot in addition to the presidential race. The Bayou State will elect a new United States senator and the 4th Congressional District will elect a new member to the U.S. House of Representatives.

I was in a local liquor store the other day buying a little spirits to keep my spirits up when a man, perhaps in his late 30s, walked in looking to buy some high-end booze. He did a double take when he saw the price and immediately asked the clerk why the booze had gone up in price.

First, there is Bernie Sanders, who is running for president as a Democrat, even though on his U.S. Senate Web site he brags about being the longest-serving Independent in Congress after serving 16 years in the House and is in his second term in the Senate.