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Thursday, August 2, 2012

General Economics

News                                                                                                                             
WSJ | Factories Lose Steam as Global Fears Rise
The U.S. factory sector shrank in July for the second straight month, and gauges of future activity suggest weakness will continue into the fall.
CNN Money | Can Congress get out of the economy's way?
The U.S. economy, of course, faces a lot of risks. But one of the biggest is Congress itself.
WSJ | Euro-Zone Manufacturing Decline Steepens
Euro-zone factory activity fell at its steepest rate in more than three years in July, and export orders plunged despite a weakening euro, suggesting the economy will struggle to recover from its downturn any time soon.

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
Politico | ‘Obamacare’ burdens poor, middle class with tax
Despite promises that the president’s health reforms would lower health care costs, “Obamacare” is saddled with new taxes, mandates and regulations that will increase the cost of care for families and job creators.
Investors | Obama, The Subprime President
That the president's highly touted rescue of GM was built on subprime lending is no surprise, given how he also champions subprime home and school loans. It's an upside-down economy not built on value or merit.
Washington Times | The true pension burden
The Maryland state retirement and pension system is in bad shape. The deluxe benefits package has $37 billion in assets, but even that amount isn’t enough to meet the promises made to government bureaucrats.
Politico | U.S. growth in 'prosperity economics'
The political fight over America’s ailing economy is dominated by one word: debt. For most Americans, however, the real problems are jobs and growth—we don’t have enough of either. Yet our political system seems incapable of tackling the true crisis.
Investors | To Heal Our Sick Economy, First Do No Harm
America got a serious wake-up call when we learned our economy has been growing at an anemic 1.5%. This confirmed again that this is the slowest recovery since the Great Depression — and the complete opposite of what the president promised would happen.
Forbes | Obama Wins The Gold For Worst Economic Recovery Ever
If mismanaging an economic recovery were an Olympic event, President Obama would be standing on the middle platform right now, accepting the gold medal.
Real Clear Markets | The U.S. Is On India's Horrid Energy Path
For those who don't remember what a large-scale blackout is like, take a look at what happened earlier this week in India, where 670 million people lost power.

Blogs                                                                                                                             
Heritage Foundation | Toll-Free Entitlements: States Make Food-Stamp Benefits Easily Available
A new Government Accountability Office report reveals that in more than 40 states a growing number of households are able to collect food-stamp benefits simply by receiving a government-issued brochure or accessing a toll-free number.
WSJ | World-Wide Factory Activity, by Country
Manufacturing in much of the world remained in contractionary territory in July, as concerns about a crisis in Europe and a Chinese slowdown continued.
Heritage Foundation | Rescue Taxpayers from Flawed Farm Policy
House leaders on Tuesday proposed a drought relief package for ranches, orchards, and nurseries as a substitute for the massive five-year farm bill that has been stalled for weeks in the deeply divided chamber.