Where has all the money gone?

By Dr. Richard Swier | 11/06/09

I have written several articles about how American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a.k.a. federal stimulus, dollars are being spent in Florida. In two previous articles I found that overall the State of Florida created no jobs but "saved" jobs according to the Recovery.gov web site. Each of the jobs saved cost $232,295.51 (read the article here). After contacting the Florida Department of Education I learned that 67% of the jobs... read more »

Rep. Bilirakis (FL-9) CBO Confirms GOP Plan Will Lower Health Care Premiums

By Dr. Richard Swier | 11/05/09

U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District, today issued the following statement after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirmed that the Republican health care plan will lower premiums by up to 10 percent and reduce the deficit by $68 billion over 10 years without raising taxes or cutting Medicare for seniors: "The Republican plan lowers health care costs and... read more »

Orange County Spending out of Control

By Dr. Richard Swier | 11/05/09

Column courtesy of Matthew Flaconer: Milton Friedman said "the total tax on a people is the sum of all government spending." Government spending equals taxes. It does not matter what the government spends it on, how they collect the tax, or whether they call it a tax, a toll, a fee, an assessment or a revenue enhancement. Every nickel the government takes in comes from your pockets and more importantly does not go to a small... read more »

Petrol Power

By Dr. Richard Swier | 11/04/09

Column courtesy of Jim Gibbs: Did you ever run out of gas and have to push your car to the nearest gas station? Up an incline? At night in the rain? Did you think about how much you’d pay someone to come along and give you a lift, fill your tank, or just help you push? My bet is that you’d have been happy to open your billfold or purse and empty the contents. On the other hand, have you ever considered how little... read more »

Rep. Buchanan (FL-13) supports General McChrystal

By Dr. Richard Swier | 11/03/09

Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-13), just back from a four-day visit to Afghanistan, said he will support an increase in American troops to fight the Taliban and prevent Al Qaeda from regaining a foothold in that country. Buchanan was among six bipartisan members of Congress who visited Afghanistan over the weekend.   “The Taliban is a destabilizing force in Afghanistan with ties to Al Qaeda,” said... read more »

Medicare passes Cocaine as crime of choice in S. Florida

By Dr. Richard Swier | 11/03/09

CBS recently reports on its show "60 Minutes" that Medicare fraud has surpassed the sale of cocaine in South Florida. The crime of choice today is stealing directly from taxpayers. No this is not Congress, they steal from us legally, it called taxation. These are real criminals biking us out of an estimate $60 billion annually. As 60 Minutes points out: "In fact, Medicare fraud - estimated now to total about $60 billion a year -... read more »

Florida Dept of Ed saves jobs at $162.9K each

By Dr. Richard Swier | 11/02/09

According to Martha K. Asbury, Director, Administrative Services, Florida Department of Education: "For the quarter that ended September 30, 2009, the Department of Education reported that a total of 19,553.25 jobs were saved or created with [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] ARRA funds. Please note that these numbers are expected to increase in subsequent quarters and that they are calculated on a full-time equivalence (FTE) basis,... read more »

Port in a Storm: Iran - A War of Necessity

By Dr. Richard Swier | 11/02/09

This week Rich presents his idea of a winning strategy in the Middle East. While Congress and President Obama are focused on the necessary war in Afghanistan, Rich says that the real war of necessity is in Iran. Rich lays out his thoughts in this podcast and his companion article, "Iran: A War of Necessity." Iran has become the preeminent power in the Middle East, even eclipsing Israel. All eyes are focused on Iran and its nuclear... read more »

Iran: A War of Necessity

By Dr. Richard Swier | 11/02/09

It appears that many in Congress and some Americans are focused on whether or not President Obama will increase troop strength in Afghanistan. There are many arguments pro and con. Some, like Vice President Biden, say we must fight a war of attrition against Al Qaeda and others, General McChrystal and Defense Secretary Gates, say we must fight a counterinsurgency against the Taliban. President Obama has called the war in Afghanistan "a war... read more »

Going Green by Going Solar

By Dr. Richard Swier | 11/01/09

I recently got a direct mail flyer saying that my neighbor had installed photo voltaic panels on his roof and a solar hot water system and will be saving an estimated $1,500 annually. I say great for my neighbor and great for the entrepreneurial company that sold him that solar system. I thought this is the free market at its best. But wait in the flyer Michael Van Beck, Director of Sales for Solaris Solar Energy states, "With the current... read more »