Senate Passes Two-Month Payroll Tax Cut Extension

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Article By Richard Cowan and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters The Senate overwhelmingly passed the legislation by a vote of 89-10. It is expected to be voted on by the House of Representatives next week, and if approved, will then go to Obama for his signature. The measure also would extend long-term unemployment benefits for another two [...]

‘Congress Least Productive Since Great Depression’

Barack Obama

Article By Laura Litvan, Bloomberg Congress is ending what may be its least productive year on record after government shutdown threats, the collapse of debt-reduction talks and little action to fix the worst U.S. economy since the Great Depression. Just 62 bills were signed into law through November this year, meaning that 2011 may fall short of [...]

Census Bureau: 1 in 2 Americans are Poor or Low-Income

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Article By Hope Yen, Associated Press Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans — nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income. The latest census data depict a middle class that’s shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government’s safety net [...]