Super Committee & Tax Reform

August 12, 2011

President Obama Finds Another Battery Factory

By: Ashe Schow

We all know what kind of jobs President Obama thinks Americans should do: construction and "green" energy. This is why it seems he only visits construction sites, solar panel plants and battery factories.

Well, he's found another battery factory (also remember, an "advanced" battery technology used for hybrid cars actually emits more pollution than a normal car battery does during manufacturing). But that aside, the market for these batteries is just not there.

The Wall Street Journal

Health-Law Mandate Ruled Unconstitutional

By: Brent Kendall

A divided U.S. appeals court in Atlanta ruled Friday that a key provision of last year's federal health-care overhaul is unconstitutional, siding with a group of 26 states that challenged the law.

The 2-1 ruling marks the Obama administration's biggest defeat to date in the multifront legal battle over the health-care law.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled that Congress exceeded its constitutional powers when it required individuals to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty.

National Center For Policy Analysis

Three Simple Ways Medicare Can Save Money

By: John C. Goodman

The most significant reason for our out-of-control deficit spending is health care. And the biggest federal health-care program is Medicare. That's why almost everybody—on the right and the left— agrees that Medicare must be reformed. A good place to start is recognizing that what Medicare is trying to do is impossible.

Medicare has a list of some 7,500 separate tasks it pays physicians to perform. For each task there is a price that varies according to location and other factors. Of the 800,000 practicing physicians in this country, not all are in Medicare and no doctor is going to perform every task on Medicare's list.

The Wall Street Journal

Debate Jolts Republican Race to Life

By: Neil King Jr. and Jonathan Weisman

AMES, Iowa—A slow-moving Republican presidential campaign came to life Thursday night in a candidates' debate that featured the fiercest face-to-face exchanges of the 2012 contest.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has lagged behind in national public-opinion polls, came out swinging: He jabbed front-runner Mitt Romney, mocking his wealth, and he criticized surging fellow Minnesotan Michele Bachmann for what he called her lack of experience and successes.