The way things are shaping up now in the United States, it is very clear that politics is a recession-proof industry. 2010′s election is bursting at the seams with money, setting fund-raising and spending records in a struggle for control of the U.S. Congress.

According to the latest financial reports, candidates for the U.S. House and Senate in this election year have raised $1.2 billion which is far more than what was spent at the same time in 2004, 2006 and 2008. The races for governor in thirty-seven states are also setting fund-raising records. Billionaire Meg Whitman, former CEO and President of Ebay has pumped $104 million of her own money into her campaign to oust sitting California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

By all accounts, this year may end up being the most expensive election ever, even more so than 2008 which is rather unbelievable considering the poor state of America’s economy. Both the Democratic and Republican parties are competing for money with outside groups and their anonymous contributors. The Democrats do have the advantage at the national level but the Republicans are definitely giving them a whole lot of competition. The money has been pouring into the political battleground since the start of 2010 and there is no end in sight as we get closer to election month in November.

Early in 2010, The U.S. Supreme Court gave corporations and unions the right to spend their money on advertisement targeting candidates for president and seats in Congress. A lower court later said that is was OK for individuals to spend any amount of money they wish on independent election ads. However, thus far most large corporations have avoided becoming over-involved in politicking. What corporations are opting to do instead is to funnel their money to trade organizations and other groups that can air election ads without disclosing who their donors are.

Gay couples living in the U.S. state of California cannot celebrate quite yet as a federal appeals court put same-sex marriage on hold while it decides whether or not it is constitutional to ban gay marriage in the state.

Attorneys for two gay couples that are challenging the ban said this week that they plan on appealing the panel’s decision on the hold in the Supreme Court. They also stated that they were happy that the court had recognized the importance of pressing the issue by expediting the briefing schedule. Under the schedule made public on Monday, it does not look like a decision would come down from the ninth district court before the end of 2010.

Proposition 8 which allows gay marriage in California was passed in November 2008 and the state had been poised to issue marriage licenses to gay couples for the first time. The recent measure amended the constitution in California to overrule a state Supreme Court ruling that made it legal for gay couples to wed earlier in 2008.

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is calling for resumption of same-sex marriage in the state and this move is pleasing gay residents there. Schwarzenegger said that California has a long history of treating all people and their relationships with equality and that gays should be able to marry just as heterosexuals do. Gay marriage is legal in only five U.S. states plus Washington D.C.

Three states recognize same-sex marriage but do not grant marriage licenses.

Gay rights activists across the United States are continually challenging bans on gay marriage in state courts and through the legislature. The activists say the bans violate their equal rights and these cases have proved successful in those states where marriage between homosexuals has been approved.

U.S. President Barack Obama spoke at a Ramadan dinner in Washington recently wherein he rather forcefully endorsed allowing a mosque to be built near ground zero in New York City. Obama said that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as as everyone else living in America. His remarks added flames to the fire surrounding the very heated debate going on in New York and all across the United States.

The president said that Muslims living in America have the right to build their place of worship on private property located in Manhattan and that America has a commitment to religious freedom that must not be compromised. The Ramadan dinner speech was made in the state dining room in the White House. This is the first time Obama has taken a public stand on the proposed mosque which may be built two blocks from the site that 3,000 people were killed in the terror attacks on September 11th, 2001. Even though this is a local matter it is the cause of a lot of debate all across the United States as many of the leading Republicans including Sarah Palin are verbalizing their opposition.

Obama says that he does consider the site of the attacks as being ‘hallowed ground’ but he also said that the right way to honor the location was to allow American values to be expressed. The president reminded the crowd of diners that there has been a good deal of opposition in the past regarding the building of synagogues but that Americans stood by their core values and worked through the issues.

Most certainly Obama knew that the world’s Muslim population would be listening to what he had to say about the proposed mosque as would non-Muslims. Obama has vowed to reach out to the Muslim community and many of the dinner guests were officials from several Muslim nations. When he was done speaking the guests stood and applauded what he had to say.

The never-ending debate over how the U.S. should tighten up security at its borders has been dominating the news in the U.S. over the past two or so years. The U.S. Senate just passed a $600 million bill that will place more agents and equipment along the Mexican border.

President Obama has been urging Congress to pump more money into border security amid many complaints from states situated on the southern border that are becoming overwhelmed by immigrants entering the country without papers as well as witnessing an increase in illegal drug trafficking activities. Democrats in the House called vacationing lawmakers back into session this week to pass the bill. This is only the second time in history since 1970 that the Senate has reconvened. The first time was following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The new bill will provide the money to hire one thousand new border patrol agents that will man some critical areas along the border between the U.S. and Mexico. It will also allow for 250 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and 250 more Customs and Border Protection officers. It will also allow for the purchase of new surveillance and communications equipment that is sorely needed.

The bill has been the subject of a lot of heated debate over the past few months between the Democrats and Republicans concerning what is to be included in the bill and who will pay for it. The state of Arizona has been at the center of the border security debate in America since it made it legal for law enforcement officers to stop ‘suspicious looking’ individuals to ask them to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. A federal judge has since struck down the bill, calling  some of the provisions ‘unlawful’. President Obama says that he is pleased with the passing of the new bill and states that his administration will continue to work on the border issue.