Obama insight: Being realistic on economy maintains credibility

When the waiter reached for the plate, President Obama shook his head and smiled as he asked for a few more minutes. He had been talking to his guests, and had barely taken a bite of his lunch. The new president was keeping with a longstanding tradition on days when the commander in chief delivers an address to a joint session of Congress: Around the table Tuesday sat television anchors and the Sunday morning interview program hosts and two senior aides

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Obama to lay out sober assessment, hopeful future

President Obama’s address Tuesday to a joint session of Congress will have a heavy emphasis on the economy and will try to strike an optimistic tone, aides said. That’s a sign Obama has heard the criticism, including from former President Clinton, that he needs to mix sober talk with an upbeat bottom line.

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With a New Budget, Now Californians Brace for the Pain

Thanks to the California state budget that was approved early Thursday morning, my husband and I — relatively new citizens of the Golden State — will help bridge the extraordinary $42 billion deficit next year by paying approximately $1,000 in additional taxes, fees and loss of dependent tax credits. And this figure will remain at that level only if we make no purchases for 12 months in an effort to avoid the new 1-cent-on-the-dollar increase in sales tax. It is, of course, a better option than getting laid off, not receiving our 2008 tax refund or being unable to drive through an abandoned highway repair project — the brutal realities of a state in freefall with no balanced budget

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Poll: Obama rating slips, but still high

A national poll indicates that two out of three Americans approve of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president of the United States. The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey, released Friday, also suggests that six in 10 support the economic stimulus package that Obama signed into law Tuesday.

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Are We Failing Our Geniuses?

Any sensible culture would know what to do with Annalisee Brasil. The 14-year-old not only has the looks of a South American model but is also one of the brightest kids of her generation. When Annalisee was 3, her mother Angi Brasil noticed that she was stringing together word cards composed not simply into short phrases but into complete, grammatically correct sentences

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Schwarzenegger: New budget is ‘perfect medicine’ for California

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the state budget plan passed by state lawmakers early Thursday is "the perfect medicine for our ailing economy." The measure, which awaits the governor’s signature, includes tax increases, spending cuts and borrowing to close a $42 billion deficit.

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