Happy Birthday to everyone born on January 1, 1946! If you are planning on working for another 20 years, having your adult children living in your basement (with their families), and/or providing full-time childcare for your grandchildren, I hope it is because you WANT to, and not because you and your loved ones have no other choices.
2) Key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) go into effect today, including a ruling that gives seniors free screenings for cancer and other diseases. This includes mammograms, colorectal cancer screening, bone mass measurement and nutritional counseling. Medicare will also provide one free "wellness visit" per year for patients who want a checkup.
Trying messing with that, almost-Speaker John Boehner.
3) Paul Krugman reminds us that today, Estonia joins the Euro zone.
If I’ve got this right, Estonia will join the euro in about 40 minutes. It is an impressive achievement, a symbol of the country’s transformation from Soviet province to good European citizen.4) And, the incoming Republican majority in the House of Representatives is lifting the ban on use of electronic devices on the floor of the House. As long as it doesn’t “impair decorum.” Everyone will have to behave when using iPads, iPhones and Blackberries.
But the cost of the adventure so far has included a Depression-level slump: GDP is growing again, but only after falling 18 percent. The IMF projections only go out to 2015 — and even then, the Fund expects GDP still to be below its 2007 level. Unemployment, having risen to almost 18 percent, is expected to remain above 10 percent into 2014.
So, congratulations to Estonia — but condolences too. This wasn’t the glittering euro entrance you were promised.
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