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The Takeaway: DOJ Asks Supreme Court to Weigh Health Care Law; Federal Pensions Face Major Shortfall
By Elizabeth Nolan Brown, September 29, 2011 08:55 AM
When the Department of Justice asks you to pretty please hear a case, that's some serious impetus to do it. Besides which, 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Business have challenged the mandate as exceeding federal power and asked the justices to strike it down. The new filings "all but guarantee" the Supreme Court will review the law, experts say-and if they start holding oral arguments in early 2012, that could lead to a ruling smack dab in the middle of the 2012 presidential election season.
More Money, More Problems: Retirement plans for veterans, members of Congress and other federal employees cost the U.S. government almost as much as the Social Security system, a USA Today analysis shows. And like Social Security, they now face a multitrillion-dollar shortfall. Unlike Social Security, however, there's no fund set up to pay for these costs-meaning they must be covered via taxes and borrowing each year. Last year, money paid to former government employees cost more than the $690 billion paid to Social Security recipients.
Thursday Quick Hits: One in four retirees feels life has gotten worse since they've stopped working ... study finds students' knowledge of civil rights history is really not so great (George Wallace was a CBS newsman, right?) ... Minneapolis, Cleveland, Boston and Pittsburgh top new list of best U.S. cities for retirees ... Tight blood-sugar control proves no help in fight against diabetes-related dementia ... And what you need to know about Listeria in fruit.
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