At 18, I guarded the parking lot at the Catholic Church bingos. Now my dad made sure I could take care of myself. I carried a Smith and Wesson 357 Magnum .

Too many Americans are out of work, and our debt is out of control.

Republicans want to be tough and say, 'Illegals, you're gone.' But the answer is a lot more complex than that.

Sometimes Republicans engage in number-crunching analysis that doesn't always take the neediest into account.

I've always known that my father's father and grandfather and grandmother were from Mexico. I've never denied it. I've always said it.

Success is the American Dream. And that success is not something to be ashamed of, or to demonize.

Despite what some would have us believe, success is not built on resentment and fear.