HEALTH CARE

► In today’s Seattle Times — Health care law to hit Supreme Court as election heats up — The Supreme Court’s decision to hear arguments on the fate of President Obama’s health-care law sets the stage for a ruling just as the presidential election shifts into full swing, putting the law — and the justices — in the center of the campaign.

► In The Hill — Dems fear that court will rule against Obama on health care — “Of course I’m concerned,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). The justices “decide for insurance companies, they decide for oil companies, they decide for the wealthy too often.”

► In today’s NY Times — Whatever court rules, changes in health care likely to last (analysis) — Health care in America has changed in ways that will not be easily undone. Provisions already put in place, like tougher oversight of health insurers, the expansion of coverage to one million young adults and more protections for workers with pre-existing conditions are already well cemented and popular. And a combination of the law and economic pressures has forced major institutions to wrestle with the relentless rise in health care costs.

► In today’s NY Times — Health reform and the Supreme Court (editorial) — The justices should follow precedent, show restraint and uphold the constitutionality of health care reform.

STATE GOVERNMENT

► From AP — Fact check: Is Washington’s tax revenue on the rise? (analysis) — “The state is expecting 7 percent more tax revenue in this new biennium than in the last,” says Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rob McKenna. “The problem isn’t the revenue — it’s the spending.” Although his numbers are based on old projections that may no longer apply, it’s true that the state will raise more cash this biennium than ever before.

But when accounting for the state’s population and economic growth in recent years, state revenue has been on a steady decline. In 1995, the state brought in almost 7 cents for every dollar of personal income. That has dropped to less than 5 cents. If state revenue had kept pace with the income of residents over the past two decades, Washington would collect enough money to have a $10 billion budget surplus in the current cycle. Instead, the state faces a $1.3 billion shortfall.

► In today’s Olympian — College students can’t take many more hits (editorial) — With the governor suggesting additional spending reductions in her all-cuts budget plan, we have to ask whether the state is living up to its obligation to fund higher education and whether middle class students are being priced out of a college education in this state.

► In today’s Columbian — I-1183’s passage clouds cities’ fate with state budget — The future is murky when it comes to predicting how the city of Vancouver will fare in the upcoming legislative budget-cutting session.

► At Slog — State will get new Supreme Court justice today — Justice Gerry L. Alexander has hit the mandatory retirement age of 75. So Gov. Chris Gregoire will appoint his replacement.

► In today’s Seattle Times — David Frockt to fill Scott White’s Senate seat

U.S.P.S.

► In today’s Tri-City Herald — Postal Service seeks input on closing Pasco mail facility — Officials with the U.S. Postal Service want to hear from Tri-City residents about the proposal to start sorting Pasco’s mail in Spokane. A public meeting is at 6 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Red Lion Hotel, 2525 N. 20th Ave., in Pasco.

ALSO SEE — Attend USPS meetings on processing plant closures (Nov. 8) — The public meeting re: Tacoma plant closure is this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Tacoma Public Library, and the public meeting re: the Olympia plant closure is this Friday at 6 p.m. at the Phoenix Inn Suites, 415 Capitol Way North.

► In today’s Spokesman-Review — Downtown Spokane post office to stay open — Postal Service officials have changed their minds and will keep open the downtown Spokane Riverside Avenue post office.

LOCAL

► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Huge Boeing order fires up Everett — Emirates Airlines’ $18 billion order for 50 more 777s announced Sunday at the Dubai Air Show equals six months of work on Everett’s 777 line. With its planned 20% increase in 777 production in early 2013, Boeing will need nearly as much of a percentage increase in workers on that line. “We’ve actually started the hiring process” in hopes of having enough trained workers on hand when the rate increase begins, says Larry Loftis, the 777 program’s general manager.

► In today’s News Tribune — Community Health Care says it’s the union’s turn to make a proposal — The chief executive of a network of community health clinics threatened with a strike says it’s the union’s turn to submit a proposal in new talks now scheduled for Friday. Some 150 members of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW called off a strike planned for Monday after Community Health Care agreed to new negotiations.

ALSO SEE — No CHC strike in Tacoma as talks resume (Nov. 13)

► In today’s Bellingham Herald — Bellingham to spend more on bus service — City leaders will consider buying more bus service with money from the 2010 voter-approved sales tax increase, although they don’t yet know which areas the buses will serve.

► In today’s News Tribune — Pierce Transit may shrink boundaries

OCCUPY AMERICA

► In today’s NY Times — Police clear Zuccotti Park of protesters — Hundreds of police officers early Tuesday cleared the park in Lower Manhattan that had been the nexus of the Occupy Wall Street movement, arresting dozens of people there after warning that the nearly two-month-old camp would be “cleared and restored” but that demonstrators who did not leave would face arrest.

► This morning from AP — Court order allows Occupy Wall Street protesters back

► In today’s Seattle Times — Seattle City Council backs Occupy Seattle

NATIONAL

► At TPM — Liberals slam SuperCommittee!™ Dems for caving on taxes — but did they? — Democratic aides privy to the negotiations say the angry reaction misreads the Dems’ position. And indeed the most recent Democratic offer to SuperCommittee!™ Republicans would have squared this issue by automatically nullifying entitlement cuts if future tax legislation didn’t raise revenues.

► In The Hill — ‘Secret farm bill’ primed for passage in debt deal — Lawmakers are trying to write a new farm bill propping up agricultural subsidies through 2017 through the SuperCommittee!™ to avoid what would be a more public, election-year debate in 2012, when the current farm bill expires and new legislation would be scheduled for writing.

► In The Nation — From Ohio to Wisconsin: the stage is set for Gov. Scott Walker’s recall (by John Nichols) — By any measure, last Tuesday’s election results from Ohio represented a devastating rejection of the agenda Walker and his allies have been peddling in Wisconsin since February.

► In today’s Washington Post — House, Senate negotiators agree on spending package — House and Senate negotiators have agreed on the details of a spending package that will keep the federal government running until Dec. 16 — and fund five major federal departments through all of fiscal 2012, staffers announced Monday night.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Yay. Another month!

► In today’s Washington Post — Republicans aren’t closing the deal with voters — Voters are paying attention to what the Republican field of presidential hopefuls is saying — not just the applause-line attacks on Obama but what the candidates propose to do about the economy. The more they talk, the more discouraged the electorate seems to become. According to polls, voters agree with the Democrats on major issues such as ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and preserving Social Security and Medicare. They agree with the Republicans that the government should spend less but seem increasingly doubtful that any of the GOP candidates would trim the budget in an intelligent and compassionate way.

TODAY’S MUST-READ

► In The Hill — Republican attacks on workers’ rights won’t create jobs (by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin) — The time and attention that House Republicans have devoted to their attack campaign against the National Labor Relations Board is nothing short of astonishing. The NLRB is an independent federal agency charged with an important mission. In fulfilling that mission, the hardworking people at the Board are just doing their jobs. Now it’s time for the House of Representatives to do the same. Instead of continuing to pursue this pointless and distracting political crusade, it’s time for the House to get down to the hard work of rebuilding the middle class and moving America forward.

AND A RELATED VIDEO

► From American Rights at Work:

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