Government, Politics and the Economy Congress Takes on Healthcare Congressional Democrats have set out to realize a goal that has eluded presidents and lawmakers for the past 60 years: an overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system. Bloomberg.com White House: Healthcare is an Economic Issue According to some in Washington, the tax-free benefits that Americans now enjoy offer American workers too much free or low-cost access to too many healthcare services, and that is why healthcare is so expensive. Breitbart.com/AP Management, Taxes and Financial Issues [Read Full Article]

In the middle of the worst recession in decades, Japan has asked its corporations to help with another societal problem, low birthrates. How will they do that? By cutting at least some of the usual 12-hour days people spend at work so they can go home and spend time with their families. All of this has one goal: to encourage more babies. More Babies = A Stronger Economy Yep, you read it right. The Japanese, the folks who gave us amazing technology, square watermelons, fully-equipped coffin-like hotel cubicles, bullet trains, samurai flicks and 54 years of Godzilla, have looked at their economic issues and have tied them to their social problems, one of which is low birthrates. True, there are other issues identified as having a problematic effect on Japan, but the Japanese birthrate is far below that necessary to replenish its rapidly aging population. The math works like this: The more stable your population, the better that is for your economy since you are literally... [Read Full Article]