Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch writes in a Washington Post op-ed that President Obama’s threatened use of the “reconcilliation” process to pass the Senate’s health care bill undermines democracy.

He writes: “America’s Founders gave us a system of governance designed to limit government power and maximize liberty. The legislative branch is different from the executive, and the Senate is different from the House. No single branch has all the power. That can be frustrating for those with ambitious agendas, but everyone benefits by respecting those checks and balances even as we fight over policies.

The Syracuse Post Standard post the following Associated Press story on the Jobs Bill.

A bipartisan jobs bill cleared a GOP filibuster on Monday with critical momentum provided by the Senate’s newest Republican, Scott Brown of Massachusetts. The 62-30 tally to advance the measure to a final vote on Wednesday gives both President Barack Obama and Capitol Hill Democrats a much-needed victory - even though the measure in question is likely to have only a modest boost on hiring.

Brown and four other Republicans broke with GOP leaders to advance the measure. Most other Republicans opposed the bill because Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada stripped out provisions they had sought and wouldn’t allow them to try to restore them.

The bill featured four provisions that enjoyed sweeping bipartisan support, including a measure exempting businesses hiring the unemployed from Social Security payroll taxes through December and giving them another $1,000 credit if new workers stay on the job a full year.”

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Alan Fram writes in the Washington Post - “Leading lawmakers hoping to revive President Barack Obama’s stalled health care overhaul have started writing a compromise bill, but it’s unclear when the legislation will be ready for votes, a top House Democrat said Tuesday.

The measure would change the massive Senate-approved health bill to what bargainers from the White House, Senate and House agreed to last month, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said in a brief interview.

Rangel’s remarks, if borne out, could be the first concrete sign that Democrats will try enacting major health legislation in the wake of the Republican upset in a Massachusetts special election that cost them their crucial 60th Senate seat. Stunned by that setback, the White House and top Democrats have been conceding that they no longer know if they have the votes to pass health legislation, or what such a bill would look like.”

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Ian Swanson of TheHill.com writes - “United States business groups are increasingly worried about Chinese policies designed to prop up “national champions” in China.

New rules issues by the Chinese government are supposed to foster “indigenous innovation” businesses in China that would become national champions of business in China. But U.S. firms fear they will hurt the U.S. economy by excluding foreign companies.

The Chinese policies could have a devastating impact on innovative U.S. industries, including computers, software, telecommunications and green technology, the business groups said in a letter to five cabinet members. They are urging the Obama administration to take action.

The pressure from the business community comes amid growing tensions between the U.S. and China on a range of issues.”

To read the rest of the story click here.

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar of the Associated Press writes on Yahoo News - “President Barack Obama’s modest health care budget may be a harbinger of what’s ahead if his overhaul plan dies in Congress.

The budget released Monday contains lots of respectable ideas to squeeze savings, expand coverage and improve quality, but no ambitious change that launches the nation on a path to health care for all.

“It doesn’t change dramatically the cost trajectory or fill the coverage gap,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

With costs widely acknowledged to be growing at budget-busting rates, the $915 billion health spending plan for 2011 would hire more fraud detectives to root out waste and outright thievery in Medicare and Medicaid, the two giant insurance programs for seniors and the poor. The budget would increase spending in one major anti-fraud area by 80 percent, part of a strategy the administration estimates could save taxpayers about $10 billion over 10 years.”

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Comptroller Revokes DOT Contracting Privileges

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today rejected a $27 million federal stimulus contract between the state Department of Transportation (DOT) and Hicksville-based L&L Painting Co. Inc. because of unanswered questions related to the company’s role in a federal investigation and other problems. The contract was for painting the Bruckner Expressway Viaduct and ramps on I-278.

In a letter to DOT today, DiNapoli also revoked some of DOT’s contracting privileges and imposed more stringent contracting requirements on DOT. DiNapoli said the changes were implemented because questions have arisen in recent months about whether DOT has been thoroughly investigating issues related to vendors.

“DOT is putting federal stimulus money at risk,” DiNapoli said. “There’s pressure to spend stimulus money quickly, but quickly doesn’t mean state agencies should be cutting corners. DOT has a responsibility to thoroughly investigate businesses with problems in their past. Every stimulus dime counts, and DOT has to do a better job of safeguarding stimulus funds.

To read more click here.

Alyssa Sunkin of the Times Herald-Record writes today - “”Help is on the way.” That’s what small-business owner George Laurence had hoped to take away from President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address Wednesday night.

“There are so many things we can put people to work for that would directly stimulate the economy and boost people’s mindset,” said Laurence, the owner of The Eclectic Eye antique shop in the Village of Warwick. “People are depressed.”

Speaking before Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress, Laurence and his counterparts in the small-business community said they hoped the president would address issues including job creation, economic stimulation, health care and credit.

Laurence would like to see a widespread public-works project to improve the country’s transportation infrastructure and put people back to work so they can at least pay for the basics in life: food, clothing and shelter.”

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Syracuse.com reports today - “A federal proposal threatens the exporting of wine from states including New York, while separate talks could greatly boost sales to Canada, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Wednesday. Each separate but related issue could affect wine exports from New York, California, Washington, Oregon, Michigan and other wine-producing states.

The New York Democrat is seeking to block the proposed repeal of a measure that allowed American wineries to be compensated for other countries’ tariffs. He also said there may soon be progress in getting Canada to lift its high tariff of as much as 100 percent on American wines bought over the border.

He said wine sellers in border states call it the Ontario license plate syndrome. That’s when Canadians visit and taste wine but can’t afford a $20 bottle of wine because it would cost twice that much by the time they pay their tariff to get it back home. “I’m optimistic we can get them to stop this,” Schumer said. He said New York is part of a coalition with wine sellers in California, Oregon, Washington, and Michigan to seek the relief from Canada.”

To read the rest of the story click here.

To read the release from the Senator click here.

Jim Snyder writes on TheHill.com about the fight over the regulation of greenhouse gases.

“Washington’s largest business groups are discussing joint legal action to block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating greenhouse gases.

Executives and lobbyists for more than two dozen trade groups met last Friday at the offices of Sidley Austin to discuss the possibility of cooperating in a legal challenge, including the possibility of pooling resources to hire counsel, but no consensus or definite course of action emerged.”

To read more click here.

Eric Dash of the New York Times writes - “Wall Street’s main lobbying arm has hired a top Supreme Court litigator to study a possible legal battle against a bank tax proposed by the Obama administration, on the theory that it would be unconstitutional, according to three industry officials briefed on the matter.

In an e-mail message sent last week to the heads of Wall Street legal departments, executives of the lobbying group, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, wrote that a bank tax might be unconstitutional because it would unfairly single out and penalize big banks, according to these officials, who did not want to be identified to preserve relationships with the group’s members.”

To read the rest of the story click here.