Supreme Court justices challenge health insurance mandate - The Washington Times

		Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Today's Top Stories
Supreme Court justices challenge health insurance mandate Getting to the crux of challenges to President Obama's health care overhaul Tuesday, the Supreme Court spent the second day of oral arguments grappling over whether the government can require Americans to buy coverage — and making clear that they want the government to show limits to the newfound power it seeks. Even with big salaries, Metro can't fill its jobs The mechanics tasked with maintaining the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's chronically broken escalators start at $81,000 a year. Bus driver pay goes as high as $114,000 for anyone with a driver's license and a GED. Solyndra, feds knew risks, official says The federal government and private investors knew the risks they were taking when they poured money in Solyndra LLC, the California solar panel manufacturer that went bankrupt two years after winning more than a half-billion dollars in federal loan guarantees, according to the company's top official. Mark Rypien is lead plaintiff in lawsuit against NFL over head injuries Former Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien has sued the NFL over "repeated traumatic injuries to his head" sustained during his 11-season career. Obama's tax plea gets rude reception While the fate of President Obama's health care law remains an open question, the Supreme Court was far more clear on one issue Tuesday: The law's backers won't be able to justify the individual mandate to purchase health insurance by pointing to Congress' taxing powers. Republicans fear Obama will sell out to Russia A defensive President Obama said Tuesday that he wasn't guilty of "hiding the ball" when an open microphone caught him pleading with the president of Russia to delay missile-shield talks until after this year's U.S. elections. Thwarted theft sparks queries of vigilantism He didn't want to be a hero. He didn't want two thieves to make off with his Chrysler Town and Country van either. Democrats give support to Trayvon Martin's parents The parents of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager who was fatally shot last month by a neighborhood watch volunteer, traveled to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to urge Congress to push for answers and justice in their son's death. HURT: Obama's 'flexibility' to lie after election Turns out he's not Kenyan after all. He's KGB. All this time, people were worried that President Obama was born in Africa and that his radical agenda had been crafted by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Saul Alinsky on the streets of Chicago's South Side. War surplus sought for U.S. security Two Texas lawmakers, joined by 17 border sheriffs from Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, have asked Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta to authorize the shipment of surplus equipment being returned from the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan to the border with Mexico as a matter of "national security." 'Stand your ground' bills under scrutiny The fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch volunteer has put the spotlight on Florida's "stand your ground" law and other so-called "castle" statutes around the country — especially in states currently considering similar legislation. Romney faces hurdle gaining Hispanic votes GOP front-runner Mitt Romney's pledge to stick to the positions he has taken on the primary trail could hurt him in a general election matchup with President Obama, particularly with Hispanic voters over the question of immigration. Inside the Beltway: Get Romneyfied Love Mitt, surrender to Mitt: And so goes the rallying cry among Republicans who insist that the GOP nomination process end with Mitt Romney as the imperfect but inevitable candidate. Sudan border clashes derail leaders' plans for summit Sudanese military aircraft bombed an oil field in neighboring South Sudan on Tuesday, causing an escalation in border violence that derailed an April presidential summit between the two nations. Papers reveal plans of foes of gay marriage Gay-rights groups are trumpeting the disclosure of internal strategic and financial documents written three years ago by their most formidable opponent in the gay-marriage battle. Obama, Pakistani prime minister focus on 'dialogue' The White House was tight-lipped about the details of a Tuesday meeting between President Obama and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the status of negotiations over the CIA's drone campaign against al Qaeda in Pakistan. Commentary HATCH: Obamacare carries too high a price in liberty In October 2009, a reporter asked then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, "Where specifically does the Constitution grant Congress the authority to enact an individual health insurance mandate?" She responded, "Are you serious?" Few questions could be more serious, and this week, the Supreme Court is spending three days exploring this and several other questions about the legitimacy of Obamacare, the president's signature achievement and the largest expansion of government in generations. EDITORIAL: Speed-camera pain threshold If there were ever any doubt that speed cameras are nothing but a dishonest cash grab, look no further than Washington Mayor Vincent C. Gray's "no new taxes" budget, released Friday morning. Boldly titled "Seizing Our Future," Mr. Gray's spending blueprint is more about seizing cash from the wallets of Virginia and Maryland drivers. MILLER: Supreme Court TV cancelled The Supreme Court on Wednesday will wrap up its third day of oral arguments on the constitutionality of Obamacare. Only a relative handful will have the privilege of witnessing this historic debate, as the high court refuses to allow its proceedings to be broadcast on television. SENATE JUDICIARY: Obamacare not an enumerated power This month marks the two-year anniversary of Obamacare's enactment. For most Americans, it is not a time to celebrate with cake or confetti; it is a solemn acknowledgment of the looming implementation of Obamacare's most controversial provision - the "individual mandate" that will force every American to purchase government-approved health insurance. BACHMANN: Ripping out Obamacare by the roots Three days after the second anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, the Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments about its constitutionality. As the author of the original bill to repeal Obamacare, I am convinced that no decision in recent history will have a more profound impact on our country. I do not make that assertion lightly, even in the shadow of other landmark cases. 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