la liberté avant tout
By Yaël Ossowski | Wisconsin Reporter MILWAUKEE — The skies may be gray and dreary, but the stern faces of union supporters in the Badger State remain as red as ever. All across Wisconsin, the organized forces of Gov. Scott Walker’s opposition are pledging voter drives and recruiting allies, while undertaking a significant social media campaign aimed at unseating…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA— The fight to recognize universal suffrage has been bloody, costly and, above all, hard-fought. Though considerations of race, sex, income, literacy and property ownership once barred certain individuals from the polling place, today these distinctions remain rightfully absent when American citizens casts their vote. What remains important, however, is not…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI— Just ignore it, and it will go away. That’s the attitude of U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, who passed a letter to the 24 other members of Florida’s congressional delegation claiming there has been “no history of mass voter fraud” in the Sunshine State and any attempt to…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — History will be made at 3:47a.m. EST on Thursday in Florida. The Dragon capsule will fly by the International Space Station at 17,500 mph, the minimum speed required to maintain orbit around the planet. What makes the event so noteworthy relies less on the flyby and more on the capsule, the…
…we know the voters of the Energy Province made the wrong decision in the April 24th legislative election. Most were well aware that Danielle Smith, the leader of Alberta’s Wildrose Party and the official Opposition Leader in the provincial legislative assembly, was a libertarian, but now we have confirmation that she be might Austrian as…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — As Spain faces massive resistance from investors and the unemployed, a delegation of Florida political and business leaders has swept in to sell the economic virtues of the Sunshine State. Gov. Rick Scott is trying to “further cement cultural ties” with Spain and promote Florida as the “ideal location” for both business and tourism, according to his weekly…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — Even after hours of cramming mathematical formulas, composing rough drafts and tracking down ever-elusive No. 2 pencils, there was no more excruciating experience than having to complete a state-mandated standardized test. The teachers, worn out from their recent intensive lessons on math, reading and writing expected on…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — At first riddled with individuals suspected of not being U.S. citizens, Florida‘s voter registration list now is facing scrutiny for the dead and buried on its rolls. After reviewing Social Security records, the state Division of Elections determined that about 53,000 registered voters may be deceased, giving election officials seven days…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG— The comfortable room had patriotic flare and subdued excitement. The national debt clock stood ticking behind 22 hand-picked senior citizens armed with smartphones, tablets and buttons with U.S. flags. They were among the 300 supporters of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney gathered Wednesday morning at the Mirror Lake Lyceum downtown. Read more: FloridaWatchdog.org
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — In the search to find the biggest job creator in Florida, residents should look no further than themselves — or rather, their government. The single largest employer in 51 of 67 Florida counties is the public sector, including members of the military, librarians, college professors, prison guards, administrators…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — For the millennial generation, the attainment of a college degree has always been perceived as the key to the middle class. Just borrow enough to put yourself through school, they were told, and the benefits of higher education will promise fruitful employment and success. But increasingly, that…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — As a powerful member of the Senate Commerce, Finance and Intelligence committees and the former state treasurer of Florida, Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is no stranger to the intricacies of backroom politics. With 40 years of successive public service in Tallahassee and onCapitol Hill, the senator has garnered a reputation as a staunch…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — More than four months remain until the primaries for the Republican and Democratic parties in Florida, but the parties have decided on their candidates for the 22nd Congressional District. In the race to replace GOP U.S. Rep. Allen West, who is seeking election in the newly drawn 18th District, the…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — After a litany of civil lawsuits and scrutiny from the federal government, it seems Florida’s Legislature may be vindicated in its efforts to combat voter fraud. At least three Florida counties are investigating cases of registered voters who do not have legal citizenship status, adding support to…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — For Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus and much of the news media, the presidential nomination process is wrapped up. The much-televised reality show and political horse race has crowned former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the party’s “presumptive nominee,” amounting to a “complete merger wherein the RNC (which) is…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TALLAHASSEE– Florida Gov. Rick Scott took to CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Friday morning, seizing the opportunity to tout the latest job numbers in the state. He received praise from interviewer Joe Kernen on taxes and regulations, and even criticized President Barack Obama’s narrow focus on student loan interest rates. “People want a job, and that’s…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — After striking down a previous plan drawn up by state Senate lawmakers in February, the Florida Supreme Court unanimously approved a new map Friday morning, defining the political districts for legislators ahead of state elections this fall. The issue stems from the first lawsuit filed by groups such as…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — Florida Gov. Rick Scott was dealt a blow Thursday morning when a federal judge declared unconstitutional mandatory drug screening for state employees. The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro in the Southern District of Florida, issues a permanent injunction on the drug tests, which were required by an executive order in March 2011. “The executive order does…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — The past few months haven’t been kind to the fourth-generation Cornelius Harvey McGillicuddy. The four-term Fort Myers Republican congressman, better known as Connie Mack IV, was once considered the conservative favorite in the race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. But fresh questions about the congressman’s…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — Dogged by rumors of a potential vice presidential nomination, the junior U.S. senator from Florida spent the week giving speeches on the campaign trail and in national interviews, boosting his public profile and giving credence to those who view him as the rising star of the Republican Party. As…