Rebuttal to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan: No, Mr. Duncan, the problem is not the bank loans to students. If they ask for loans they should pay interest and, in the end, repay their loans just like everyone else. ...more

March 17, 2010

Given that the former 2,000 page Obamacare bill is now up to something like 2,700 pages, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi actually had the nerve to say in front of a group that Congress needed to pass the bill before they could see what was in it! ...more

March 13, 2010

As unfortunate as the Tampa region's economy has been in the past year, it should be no surprise that the area's unemployment rate has now hit the unluckiest number of all: 13. ...more

March 11, 2010

It's not surprising that some people who have jobs are the most critical of expanding unemployment benefits. And it's also some people with good health insurance who are most against reforming the current health care system. The same goes for providing free breakfasts for children in our schools. Those who can provide home breakfasts are more likely to disagree with the school providing them for others. Fact is, though, these breakfasts serve a critical need for children who need them. ...more

March 10, 2010

The word from Washington is that the U.S. economy is starting to rebound from the Great Recession. Here in Florida as a whole and Pasco County in particular, the recession's grip seems as unyielding as that of this endless winter. ...more

March 10, 2010

Standing, sitting, squatting in his chair, kindergartener Maseon Velez doesn't stay in one position for long as he eats breakfast in his classroom at the Kindergarten Learning Center. ...more

March 9, 2010

Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., is on his way to retirement, largely because his Republican colleagues have concluded the 78-year-old former major league pitcher is a political liability. Bunning is not going quietly: His latest move was to put a five-day "hold" on a $10 billion bill to pay for extended unemployment benefits and other popular programs. Democrats had insisted the measure should be treated as an "emergency" exempt from pay-as-you-go rules. He ultimately relented. ...more

March 6, 2010

The unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent in February as employers shed 36,000 jobs, fewer than expected. The figures suggested the job market is slowly healing but that significant hiring has yet to occur. ...more

March 6, 2010

Greg Aghoian has not been able to find work in several months, and the level of frustration overwhelms him at times. ...more

March 5, 2010

The economy is showing renewed strength as retail sales surged last month and factory orders also increased. Yet there's little evidence such growth will lead to more hiring soon - unless recent gains in consumer spending force companies to add workers. ...more

March 5, 2010