By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA— In the decades following World War I, a widespread consensus existed in the United States that armed conflicts were not pursued for defense, protection or necessity, but rather for the opportunity of profitable investment enjoyed by the captains of industry. According to the Senate Historical Office, the 1920s and […]
Questioning John McCain on the ‘Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex’
Yesterday, I was afforded the opportunity to ask Sen. John McCain a few questions on the collusion between politicians and the defense companies that manufacture weapons. McCain came to Tampa, FL to protest the $500 billion in sequestration cuts slated for the military budget over the next 10 years—less than $50 billion per year. What […]
FL: McCain pushes against defense cuts to save military contractors, economy
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — If the proposed cuts to the military budget are not stopped immediately, the United States would be unprepared and unequipped to fight any future wars — despite the growing danger of a deepening national debt. That was the message delivered Monday at a town hall event downtown, […]
FL: Millions in fraud, waste rampant in federal energy stimulus, reveals state audit
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — More than 3 ½ years after the president’s celebrated signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the program remains a hot target for critics, who view the billions in federal spending as ripe for waste, fraud and abuse. And now, a new report is confirming that very fact, demonstrating […]
FL: State delegation votes yes on Paul’s push for Fed transparency
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — In a rebuke of the nation’s central bank on Wednesday, 327 House members approved a bill requiring an extensive audit of the Federal Reserve, a long-awaited triumph for the original sponsor of the legislation, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas. Paul, a three-time presidential candidate, has spent his 22 years […]
FL: Feds’ $50M transit stimulus seeks to ‘repair infrastructure,’ ‘create jobs’
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — Creating jobs in the bus sector has taken a new front seat in the priorities of the federal government. Municipalities and counties nationwide are set to a receive $787 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to build, modernize and replace buses and bus facilities — hoping, at the […]
FL: More noncitizens found on voter registration rolls
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ORLANDO — Frustrated with accounts of voter fraud and ineligible voters statewide, residents of Orange County undertook their own investigation to reveal whether noncitizens were present on the county voter rolls. Kelli McNair-Lee and Bill Barnett, members of the East Side Tea Party andEastern Orlando Tea Party,petitioned Orange County Jury Services for the list of people exempt […]
FL: Lawmaker’s term-limit pledge comes back to haunt him—24 years later
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST PETERSBURG — A GOP representative who promised to push for term-limits in his initial congressional campaign run is again seeking office, hoping to claim victory for a 13th term in the nation’s capital. U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns of the 6th District, composed of north-central Florida, made limiting the amount of time […]
FL: State expects to save millions by outsourcing prison health services
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — Overcoming the efforts of several public-sector unions, Florida plans to hire more private health vendors in its correctional instutitions. “This step will allow us to provide the same services we currently have, which meet state and federal standards, while saving money for the taxpayers,” Corrections Secretary Ken Tucker said […]
FL: Economist says federal temp job programs only hurt workers
By Marianela Toledo and Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — Are direct government incentives for job creation the path to prosperity? Not a chance, says oneFlorida economist. Jorge Salazar-Carrillo, professor of economics atFlorida International University in Miami, points to the misdirected aims of temporary jobs programs introduced en masse in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law […]