Jun 16 2012
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and other GOP leaders are linking pledges to repeal the health care law to a small-government, economic recovery theme.
Los Angeles Times: In Answer To Obama, Boehner Highlights GOP Building Efforts
Hours before President Obama delivers an economic address in Cleveland, House Speaker John A. Boehner is out with a prebuttal intended to spotlight GOP efforts in Congress to boost the economy and create jobs. In the online video, Boehner stands at his desk in the speaker's office before a table full of bills that have passed the Republican-led House but stalled in the Senate, where the Democratic majority has largely panned them. The bills hew to the GOP's small-government mantra: dismantle federal regulations, expand domestic energy production, repeal Obama's healthcare law, revamp Medicare and cut domestic spending, among others (Mascaro, 6/14).
Chicago Tribune: Romney Raises Millions At Chicago Campaign Event
Romney repeatedly contended that Obama's agenda would further inject government into the free-market system, using the president's health care overhaul law as an example. That agenda, he said, has created economic uncertainty that has restrained business growth (Pearson, 6/15).
Meanwhile, in news related to public opinion, the deficit and entitlement programs -
Los Angeles Times: Public Agrees On Deficit As A Problem, But Not On Solutions
The government's deficit involves two separate problems. One is the impact of the bad economy, which pushes tax revenues down while increasing spending on programs including unemployment insurance, food stamps and Medicaid. Even if the economy fully recovers, however, the second part of the deficit – the built-in part -- would remain. It results from a simple fact of life – the average age of the U.S. population is going up, meaning that more retirees are eligible for Social Security, Medicare and other benefit programs for the elderly, which currently make up about half of every dollar the federal government spends (Lauter, 6/15).
 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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