USA Today

If Daniel Levy is right, the way out of the morass the Bush administration has stumbled into in the Middle East is through the Palestinian territory.

To drain the swamp in which al-Qaeda and other U.S. adversaries operate and make it harder for this nation's foes in the Middle East "to speak above the heads" of moderate Arab leaders, Levy says, a way must be found to end Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territory.

The long-running struggle between Israel and the Palestinian people "is the mother-of-all grievances"… more

The percentage of people with health insurance through their employers — traditionally the way most people get coverage — is continuing to shrink, raising anxiety among workers and invigorating a debate about whether insurance should be tied to jobs. ...

Premiums continue to go up, although the rate of increase has slowed in the past couple of years. This year, the average increase faced by employers was 6.1%, according to the Kaiser survey, well below the recent peak increase of 13.9%… more

Student loans are often categorized as good debt, because a college education is considered a sensible long-term investment. ...

But it's important to understand that not all student loans are alike. Federally guaranteed student loans, known as Stafford loans, have fixed interest rates, now 6.8%, and flexible repayment terms. Any full-time college student, regardless of family income, can take out a Stafford loan.

Private student loans, which are often offered by the same lenders that provide federal loans, are more… more

A 50% cut in health insurance premiums would only reduce the number of uninsured Americans by 3%, estimates a Rand study out Monday, which suggests that incentives and government tax cuts won't lead to universal coverage...The study comes amid heightened debate about ways to cover the approximately 45 million uninsured. Ideas on how to fix the problem cross the political spectrum, from loosening regulation of the industry to mandating a government-overseen health system. The study, published… more

WASHINGTON — The 44th president will move into the Oval Office with an agenda defined in large part by the 43rd president.In many ways, it will be George W. Bush's third term. Among pressing issues left on the table: What's next in Iraq. How to restore America's reputation around the world. Whether to extend tax cuts that expire in 2010. What to do about Medicare's looming shortfall. And how to complete the job of helping the… more

To the average student or parent, the college-loan fiasco that has unfolded over the past few months is as about as easy to understand as the federal tax code. Far clearer is the severity of the problem.Students pay interest rates of anywhere from 6.8% to 18% for college loans. The higher end of that range borders on usury. Repaying the average loan — $20,000 — over 10 years at the top rate costs more than twice that amount. more

WASHINGTON -- President Bush pledged support Tuesday for embattled Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and cast the seizure of Gaza by the militant Hamas movement as an "ideological struggle" between democracy and extremism...Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke to reporters before holding a long-scheduled, private meeting. Bush blamed Hamas for renewed violence that split the Palestinian territories and left dozens dead last week. Abbas' Fatah faction controls most of the West Bank, and Hamas is in charge… more

Flextime makes better workers As a father and as someone who studies flextime policies, I believe workplace flexibility is a win-win for businesses and families -- not just mothers. USA TODAY's article "Poll finds resentment of flextime" fails to recognize that workplace flexibility is no longer the sole domain of working mothers (Money, Friday).

In my office, we retain our talented workforce by giving workers flexibility. If we did not have flextime, some of these folks would leave, and… more

On the eve of a congressional hearing on student loan practices, the House passed a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would bar lenders from giving gifts to colleges or school officials to win business, and would require schools to disclose any financial ties to lenders.The passage of the bill, pushed by House education committee chair George Miller, D-Calif., comes a day before Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is to testify at the hearing. Spellings is expected to be grilled about… more

"The majority rules!" is one of the most frequently heard battle cries of American politics, but the reality is otherwise: Every year, in scores of state and local elections, no candidate wins a majority. That results in either costly runoffs or "winners" who in fact have been rejected by as many as two-thirds of the voters in a multi-candidate field. Minnesota, for example, hasn't had a governor elected with majority support since 1994 (Jesse Ventura won with… more