Congress's poor record
The 113th Congress is on course to pass less legislation than any Congress in history. So far, it’s passed only 49 laws. The “Do Nothing’’ Congress denounced by President Harry Truman in 1947 passed 906 laws.
Politico.com
Clueless about Obamacare
Thirty-eight percent of uninsured Americans say they have heard “nothing at all” about the health-care exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
TheWire.com
Fewer college students
The number of college students in the U.S. fell by 2 percent this year compared with last, a decline caused by a combination of demographics, a tepid economy, and high tuition costs. The decline is likely to continue, since the number of new high school graduates peaked in 2011 and isn’t predicted to return to that level until 2024.
The Washington Post
Life sentences for nonviolent crimes
At least 3,278 Americans are serving life sentences without parole for such nonviolent crimes as cursing at a policeman and selling $10 worth of drugs. More than 80 percent of these life sentences are the result of mandatory sentencing laws.
The Economist
The government's $10 billion profit
When it sells its remaining stock in General Motors, the U.S. government will make a net $10 billion profit on its $421.6 billion bailout of the financial and auto industries. Five years after the bailouts began, the stock market has hit a record high, and the U.S. auto industry has added more than 300,000 jobs.
The Wall Street Journal
