The Morning Report -- Thursday January 31, 2013

Economic Jitters vs Obama Agenda -- Hagel Faces Critics -- Debt Limit To Be Cleared -- Families Priced Out of Health Overhaul

ECONOMIC JITTERS COMPETE WITH OBAMA AGENDA

WASHINGTON (AP) - Just as President Barack Obama is pushing new initiatives on gun control and immigration, the gloomy old problem of a sluggish economy is elbowing its way back into prominence. Consumer confidence is falling, the economy is contracting and large automatic spending cuts are threatening to hit the Pentagon and other programs, with uncertain consequences. These troubles arise as Obama's public approval is improving and as he begins to use his sway to promote the key features of his second-term agenda. The White House, the Federal Reserve and independent economists attributed the shrinkage in gross domestic product and the drop in consumer confidence to one-time events and said underlying economic factors were still showing encouraging signs.

REPUBLICAN HAGEL FACES GOP CRITICS AT HEARING

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's nominee for defense secretary, is facing GOP critics who have challenged his past comments on Israel, Iran and nuclear weapons. The former two-term senator from Nebraska is the lone witness at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday that could be crucial in determining whether he will win Senate confirmation to succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in Obama's second-term national security team. Two former committee chairmen - Democrat Sam Nunn and Republican John Warner - will introduce the nominee.

SENATE TO CLEAR DEBT LIMIT INCREASE FOR OBAMA

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate is poised to permit the government to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars more to meet its obligations, putting off one Washington showdown even as others loom in coming weeks. The measure would suspend the $16.4 trillion limit on federal borrowing through May 18, allowing about $450 billion in new debt to be added to the federal ledger, according to an estimate by the Bipartisan Policy Center SOME FAMILIES TO BE PRICED OUT OF HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL  WASHINGTON (AP) - Some families could get priced out of health insurance due to what's being called a glitch in President Barack Obama's overhaul law. IRS regulations issued Wednesday failed to fix the problem as liberal backers of the president's plan had hoped. As a result, some families that can't afford the employer coverage that they are offered on the job will not be able to get financial assistance from the government to buy private health insurance on their own. How many people will be affected is unclear.

Obamacare Saves Money

Florida Governor Rick Scott has claimed that Obamacare will cost the state millions of dollars. But now, the first detailed study of the costs show that rather than costing the state money, it will actually save money. $300 million in the first year alone.

Obamacare will be especially important in Florida, where 30% of non-elderly adults are uninsured, compared to 18% nationwide. Plus, the implementation of Obamacare will create 56,000 jobs.

Florida would save money over the next decade — not lose billions as Gov. Rick Scott has argued — by accepting Medicaid expansion under federal healthcare reforms, according to a detailed economic study.

Miami-Dade legislators and healthcare industry leaders, getting together on Monday, heard about the report by Georgetown University — the most positive yet on a highly debated provision of what is often called Obamacare.

Jack Hoadley, a senior researcher with the Georgetown Health Policy Institute, said the study was the first to calculate spin-off savings in other state programs if Florida accepted the expansion, which over the next 10 years could bring $26 billion in federal funds to provide insurance to an estimated 815,000 to 1.3 million Florida residents who are now uninsured.

Read more at http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/29/3206264/study-medicaid-expansion-may-save.html

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/29/3206264/study-medicaid-expansion-may-save.html#storylink=cpy

The Morning Report -- Monday January 28, 2013

POTUS & Secretary Clinton -- Immigration Reform A Possibility -- Obama's Political Fork -- Healthcare's Reality -- Super Bowl Looms -- Tiger Has Big Lead -- Aspirin Eye Abuse

PREVIEW: THE PRESIDENT AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE

IMMIGRATION REFORM: LAWMAKERS SEE OVERHAUL OF IMMIGRATION SYSTEM CLEARING CONGRESS THIS YEAR

WASHINGTON -- Republican and Democratic lawmakers were cautiously optimistic Sunday that a long-sought overhaul of the nation's immigration system that includes a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the country will clear Congress this year, the result of changes in the political landscape shown in November's election.

"We are trying to work our way through some very difficult issues," said Illinois' Sen. Richard Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate. "But, we are committed to a comprehensive approach to finally, in this country, have an immigration law we can live with. We have virtually been going maybe 25 years without a clear statement about immigration policy. That's unacceptable in this nation of immigrants."

OBAMA: COMPROMISE OR 'POLITICAL CONQUEST'? 

Associated Press

As he moves into his second term, President Obama says he’s going to spend more time communicating directly with the American people – something he acknowledges having done too little of during his first term – while working to present his administration and most congressional Democrats as willing to compromise on important issues.

“I've been spending a lot of time just thinking about how do I communicate more effectively with the American people?” Mr. Obama said in an interview with the New Republic magazine. “How do I try to bridge some of the divides that are longstanding in our culture? How do I project a sense of confidence in our future at a time when people are feeling anxious?”

CONSUMER ALERT: NEW HEALTH CARE MARKETS ON THE WAY

Getty Images

WASHINGTON - Buying your own health insurance will never be the same.

This fall, new insurance markets called exchanges will open in each state, marking the long-awaited and much-debated debut of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

The goal is quality coverage for millions of uninsured people in the United States. What the reality will look like is anybody's guess , from bureaucracy, confusion and indifference to seamless service and satisfied customers.

Exchanges will offer individuals and their families a choice of private health plans resembling what workers at major companies already get. The government will help many middle-class households pay their premiums, while low-income people will be referred to safety-net programs they might qualify for.

SUPER BOWL XLVII COACHES DEFINED BY BOLD MOVES DURING RUN TO BIG GAME

NFL head coaches make dozens, maybe hundreds of decisions every day. Who to start, who to promote, who to demote, who to cut, who to keep, how to attack, how to defend, all the way down to whether to kick, receive or defer at the start of the game.

Baltimore's John Harbaugh and San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh each made one critical decision down the stretch of the 2012 season that propelled their teams to a historic showdown between brothers in Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3 in New Orleans.

TIGER WOODS HOLDS BIG LEAD HEADING TO MONDAY

Associated Press

Due to the fog that wiped out an entire day of golf, the Farmers Insurance Open was never going to end on Sunday, even though Tiger Woods effectively ended it.

Woods walked off Torrey Pines with a six-shot lead and only 11 more holes between him and winning on this course for the eighth time in his pro career.

He drove the ball with superb control in the third round on his way to a 3-under 69 to build a four-shot lead after three rounds. He lost control with his driver in the fourth round and still managed three birdies in seven holes.

ASPIRIN USE LINKED TO AGE-RELATED EYE DISEASE

i.stockphoto

The research, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, shows that the risk appears to be independent of a history of smoking, which is also a known preventable risk factor for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is commonly used in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, such as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke.

While a five-year European study published last year suggested that regular aspirin use – defined as once or more per week in the past year – was associated with AMD, other studies had reported inconsistent findings. The new study was conducted over a much longer period and found clear evidence of the risk.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/27/4034141/super-bowl-xlvii-coaches-defined.html#storylink=cpy

Jerry Brown's State of the State

Source: Governor's Office CA

On the morning of January 24th Jerry Brown delivered his State of the State address. His topics ranged from education, healthcare, water, jobs, climate change, and transportation. Brown started his speech commending the legislation for making hard cuts and reforming prison spending and the citizens for "using their inherent political power under the Constitution" to pass prop. 30.

Brown was noticeably excited about the state of California. He decried those who said California was on a path of demise, and saluted teachers, union members, business owners, and the average citizen. He made it clear that what has happened in the past two years in California isn't about him, but about the people and their elected officials doing great work. After all of this back slapping and salutes, Governor Brown got right down to business, and he started with what he is known for: being a fiscal hawk. He started with,

"Fiscal discipline is not the enemy of our good intentions but the basis for realizing them. It is cruel to lead people on by expanding good programs, only to cut them back when the funding disappears. That is not progress; it is not even progressive. It is illusion. That stop and go, boom and bust, serves no one. We are not going back there."

Using the story of Joseph and the Pharaoh Brown compared the seven years of storage for the famine to come with his seven year tax hikes. He wants to leave California with a large rainy-day fund and keep the state safe if the worst were to happen to the economy.

Education

Gov. Brown wants to give back the power of education to be local. He believes that decisions are better made by teachers and the school board in each district. He even proposes a Local Control Funding Formula which would distribute supplemental funds — over an extended period of time — to school districts based on the real world problems they face.

Brown focuses his attention on public universities (2-year and 4-year) and says that it needs to be more streamlined to help students get their degree. He finishes by simply stating, "But tuition increases are not the answer. I will not let the students become the default financiers of our colleges and universities."

Healthcare 

On this subject Gov. Brown was short and to the point. He applauded the speed at which California adopted new Affordable Care Act and said that the legislators need to stay on course, but calls for a special session to deal with it. Keeping with his fiscal ideals Brown finished this topic with this: "Given the costs involved, great prudence should guide every step of the way."

Jobs

Recession cut deep

California lost 1.3 million jobs at the beginning of the recession, but it's coming back strong. A government entity, gobiz, got a lot of attention for helping businesses in California and for landing Samsung's only research and development facility in southern California. Work still needs to be down, Brown went on, citing needed reform in Enterprise Zone Program,  Jobs Hiring Credit, and California Environmental Quality Act.

Something surprising here, Brown talked about working closely with China, so much in fact that he will be opening a new trade and investment office in Shanghai.

Let's go out and get it done

Any Californian will remember how gloom the future of our state looked two and four years ago with the recession hitting the state hard. Today the government isn't only looking at economic issues and focused on people getting back to work, but keeping why California is so great and innovating. By taking bold moves in alternative energy and high-speed rail California will prepare the state for the future while getting the economy flowing. Things are looking up, and 2013 looks like a good year for California. Governor Jerry Brown finished saying, "Two years ago, they were writing our obituary. Well it didn’t happen. California is back, its budget is balanced, and we are on the move. Let’s go out and get it done."