Congress convenes its new two-year session in early January, and Tampa Bay's federal lawmakers agree that the ailing economy and Americans' dwindling access to health care are priorities. ...more

December 22, 2008

Since the subprime mortgage troubles exploded into a full-blown financial crisis last year, the three top credit-rating agencies - Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings - have faced a firestorm of criticism about whether their rosy ratings of mortgage securities generated billions of dollars in losses to investors who relied on them. ...more

December 20, 2008

Obama promotes a recovery plan that would feature spending on roads and infrastructure, schools, and green technology. ...more

December 18, 2008

Under mounting pressure to act, the Bush administration said Friday it was ready to step in and prevent the U.S. auto industry from collapsing after the Senate refused to pass a rescue bill endorsed by the White House and congressional Democrats. The most obvious source of help was the Wall Street bailout fund. ...more

December 12, 2008

Neither the former workers at a nuclear weapons plant in Largo nor Sen. Bill Nelson are buying into a recently released Inspector General report. ...more

December 1, 2008

By all the commentaries I have seen, Black Friday two days ago is about to be followed by a darker, tougher and meaner year for millions of Americans, including a lot of us in the Tampa Bay region. ...more

November 30, 2008

We all know that the federal budget deficit is huge and will continue to grow as long as Congress continues to bail out one company after another. So here's a budget item that Congress can freeze immediately if they choose to do so: Both the U.S. House and Senate should vote to forego pay increases for themselves and their staffs until the budget is balanced. ...more

November 28, 2008

The homeless beggar near the office was smoking a cigarette and had a pack in this shirt pocket as he offered his cup for a handout. ...more

November 24, 2008

I will never forget how I felt two weeks ago when I watched Barack Obama celebrating with more than a hundred thousand in Chicago, tens of millions across our nation, and millions more around the world. Now, Congress has to ensure that we live up to the possibility of that day, and the promise of this moment in history. ...more

November 23, 2008

The homeless beggar near the office was smoking a cigarette and had a pack in this shirt pocket as he offered his cup for a handout. ...more

November 23, 2008