Government, Politics and the Economy Democrats Offer Mixed Signals on Deficit President Obama may have called for legally binding measures to enforce spending restraint, but both his congressional allies and his own actions are threatening to undermine his effort. WSJ.com Healthcare Bill Raises Taxes by $600 Billion House Democrats have drafted healthcare overhaul legislation that includes $600 billion in tax increases and $400 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. According to Ways and Means chairman Charles Rangel, the total cost of healthcare reform will top $1 trillion. Bloomberg.com Management and Operations [Read Full Article]

  Government and Economy Mills: Banks Are Loaning Again According to SBA chief Karen Gordon Mills, efforts to get money to capital-strapped small businesses are beginning to pay-off, with banks starting to make government-backed loans. WSJ.com GM Begins Cutting 1,100 Dealers Facing General Motors, facing a probable bankruptcy filing by June 1, is telling 1,100 U.S. dealers they will be terminated as the automaker starts shrinking its retail network. Bloomberg.com [Read Full Article]