* If President Trump makes good on his various promises to boost military spending–and end sequestration–that could be good news for the Tampa Bay area, where the defense industry’s impact is estimated at $16 billion annually. It’s a regional economic anchor and all upside–unless, of course, you’re haunted by President Dwight Eisenhower’s 1961 warning about some “military industrial complex.”
* The political consulting industry is now a $6 billion enterprise. It’s embedded into our political culture and grows continuously through each cycle. It’s how candidates get their message out, albeit too often through disingenuous, negative ads. Shouldn’t that be the “political consulting industrial complex”?