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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Oct. 8, 2009
/ 20 Tishrei 5770
A Rift Between Old Allies
By
David Broder
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
One of the intriguing mysteries of this year is why the initial broad support from American business for overhauling the health-care system has not translated into more than a handful of votes from Republicans in the House and Senate.
As a rule, when the business community decides it wants something in Washington, Republicans listen and respond. Much of their funding comes from the corporate sector, and their philosophy attunes them to the bottom-line concerns of those who live in the world of market competition.
When this year's health-care debate began, there was every reason to think that much of the corporate world had moved off the opposition that helped doom the Clinton reforms of 1993-94. In the intervening years, medical insurance bills for companies, as well as for individuals, had soared far faster than inflation, forcing many firms to cut back their employees' coverage or even abandon it.
The auto companies and many others complained that they were losing sales to foreign competitors who did not face the cost of health insurance and that they were paying the price in their bottom line. The Obama White House recognized the opening and reached out to business, striking deals with hospitals, pharmaceuticals and doctors.
In the past few days, such notable Republicans as former Senate majority leader Bill Frist, former Wisconsin governor and Health and Human Services secretary Tommy Thompson, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger all have urged their party to back reform, rather than settle for the status quo.
But far more common in the Capitol is what I heard from Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the former GOP whip. "There has been no real pressure from business" to move the legislation forward, he said, and growing skepticism about what business can expect from any reforms. "The House and Senate [Democratic] leaders say they are not bound by any agreements the White House has made," Blunt said.
Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, a moderate Republican with close ties to business, said, "I've not been lobbied" by any corporate supporters of reform. "They are preoccupied by deficits and debt."
Smart lobbyists such as Reagan White House chief of staff Ken Duberstein, former representative Vin Weber and Karen Ignagni, who represents the health-care insurers, offer various reasons for the seeming gap between business and the GOP. Weber and Duberstein both said they hear congressional Republicans expressing distaste for the business groups that have cut deals with Obama. Ignagni said that more and more business executives have grown leery that they may be stuck with the bill for Democratic plans.
Spokesmen for the Business Roundtable and the Committee for Economic Development, two corporate groups that early on called for reform, said many others in business worry about the cost of the program and the possibility that it will segue into a single-payer, government-controlled scheme. As a matter of principle, others oppose mandates for employers to provide insurance or for individuals to buy it.
And several of these people, after asking to speak off the record, made the point that while business has no choice but to make its best accommodation with Democrats, congressional Republicans are motivated primarily by a desire to reverse those Democratic majorities.
"They remember how defeating Clinton's health reform set the stage for taking over Congress in 1994," said one pro-reform consumer lobbyist. "Their gamble is that history can repeat itself."
It is not a single factor, then, that explains why many parts of business and the Republicans don't seem to be on the same page. Some of the pro-reform business groups have had second thoughts as the shape of the proposed legislation has become clearer. Few business leaders are lobbying actively for the bills nearing floor votes, and such key players as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are vocally opposed.
And congressional Republicans are rejecting the pro-reform arguments from business, either because they scorn their erstwhile allies who are making deals with the Democrats or because they have decided that "just say no" may offer them more political rewards.
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