Voters in mind, Congress eyes money issues
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Congress is spending its last working days before a long summer break by attending to pocketbook issues, with votes to increase the minimum wage, cut estate taxes and shore up pensions.
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Politicians are starting to weigh changes to the federal retirement program. Reforms carry risk and can&#39;t be separated from nation&#39;s overall fiscal health.
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Lawmakers are gathering at their state capitols this week, with some new faces in the crowd and big decisions looming on taxes, schools, health care and crime &#151; not to mention a minefield of cultural disputes such as gay marriage and the moral beliefs of pharmacists.
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Presidential candidates may solicit contributions for a general election campaign even if they later decide to take public money for the race, federal regulators said Thursday in a proposed opinion.
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Lawmakers trying to get elected push last-minute bills to help constituents, from hurricane relief to tobacco buyouts.
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There are two ways to think about the staggering amounts of money given by special interest groups to politicians -- the type of contributions that were detailed for the last quarter in reports filed yesterday by presidential candidates and members of Congress.
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Dissatisfied with Congress, voters would probably hang a "Help Wanted" sign on the U.S. Capitol if given the chance.
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By Michelle Koetters, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.  Jun. 1--LEXINGTON -- Farmers need a "safety net" when it comes to commodity payments, and a congress-man for Central Illinois vows to make the issue his top concern for the 2007 farm bill.   The U.S.
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Like many schoolchildren, members of Congress were due back at their desks Tuesday after a summer break. Unlike the students, lawmakers will immediately face major tests: on Iraq, children's health care, a home mortgage crisis and the budget.
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Congress's new party of power faces a challenge in achieving their goals amid the current budget crisis.
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For Democratic candidates, the growing risk of a recession is an opportunity for action. For Republicans, it presents a dilemma.
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The House has scheduled votes this week on open-government bills. They would:  - Require organizations established for the purpose of raising funds for presidential libraries to disclose the sources of contributions of $200 or more.
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With soaring insurance costs squeezing workers and employers, votersâ choices this November may well be swayed by an issue that has great personal significance to Americans and their pocketbooks: health care.
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The financial influence of Dubai and its neighbors is raising political concerns among U.S. lawmakers.
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African Americans in Congress, many facing huge pressure from their constituents, are mulling whether to shift support from Clinton to Obama.
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By Destin Log, Fla.  Sep. 13--You can bank on it: When our city councilors talk about spending our tax dollars, a crowd is likely to show up.  Last week, more than two dozen taxpayers turned out for a meeting at the City Hall Annex.
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WASHINGTON - Congress returns from its August recess Tuesday vowing to rush through a bundle of important bills before the November election.