Boy Scouts, charities collateral damage in sequestration

By   /  May 17, 2013  /  Minnesota, National, News  /  No Comments

Blue Angels give Boy Scouts and charities the blues by pulling out of air shows that financially support them. US Navy Photo.

By Tom Steward | Watchdog Minnesota
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — When the Department of Defense recently grounded the Navy‘s Blue Angels and Air Force‘s Thunderbird aerial acrobat squadron because of sequestration, dozens of air shows across the country were caught in the crossfire.
While the Pentagon estimated the maneuver could save about $30 million, it’s proving to be costly [...]

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FL: Profits of doom: Military contractors decry spending cuts but keep raking in cash

By   /  December 6, 2012  /  Accountability, Featured, Federal Government, Finances, Florida, Foreign News & Policy, Issues, News, Power Abuse, State Budgets  /  1 Comment

DOOM: Military contractors warn of coming defense cuts, but are still receiving millions in contracts from the Pentagon

By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog
ST. PETERSBURG — The nation’s largest military contractors may be doing everything they can to warn Floridians of impending doom coming in the form of military-spending cuts, but newly announced defense contracts may leave their claims falling on deaf ears.
Just a few weeks before automatic-spending cuts are set to eliminate [...]

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MT: Tester supported flying drones over Montana

By   /  September 18, 2012  /  2012 General Election, Featured, Montana, News  /  No Comments

A predator drone, typically used in military applications.

By Dustin Hurst | Watchdog.org
HELENA – Listening to U.S. Senator Jon Tester‘s allies tell it, Senate challenger Republican Denny Rehberg is the king of privacy-invading drones and black helicopters.
In fact, Tester’s own record shows he actively supported drone development in Montana.
As this heated and expensive Montana U.S. Senate election runs its course, Tester and two allied spending [...]

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FL: McCain pushes against defense cuts to save military contractors, economy

By   /  July 30, 2012  /  Economy, Federal Government, Florida, News  /  No Comments

Photo by Melanie Pfeffer // Sen. John McCain, Sen. Kelly Ayotte visted Tampa to warn against "drastic" cuts to military budget

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, where U.S. [...]

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WI: More programs, but little headway on getting veterans back to work

By   /  July 24, 2012  /  Economy, Featured, News, Wisconsin  /  No Comments

Photo courtesy of Mike Baird Federal and state governments, in conjunction with business and veterans groups, are trying to lower unemployment among returning veterans. Still, experts say the rate for post-9/11 veterans still hovers around 12 to 13 percent.

By Kirsten Adshead  |  Wisconsin Reporter
 MADISON – By the time Matt Tullberg left the U.S. Army last September, he’d served nine years, including seven in management.

He’d logged more than 1,000 hours as a helicopter crew man; and he’d gained advanced medical training and experience through his work as a medic.
But when the time came to [...]

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