Today’s Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are:Recanvassing shows that the NY-23 race has tightened even after Bill Owens was sworn in, Medical marijuana gets support from the American Medical Association, and Sen. Jack Reed (D - RI) manages to find constitutionality in the health care mandate.
- Syracuse.com:Recanvassing shows NY-23 race tightens even as Rep. Bill Owens is sworn into House seat
But Hoffman’s concession — based on snafus in Oswego County and elsewhere that left his vote undercounted — set off a chain of events that echoed all the way to Washington, D.C., and helped secure passage of a historic health care reform bill.
- LA Times: Medical marijuana gets a boost from major doctors group
The American Medical Assn. on Tuesday urged the federal government to reconsider its classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug with no accepted medical use, a significant shift that puts the prestigious group behind calls for more research.
- CNS NEWS: Sen. Reed: Forcing People to Buy Health Insurance is Constitutionally Justified Because It’s Like Making People ‘Sign Up for the Draft’
“Whether such a requirement would be constitutional under the Commerce Clause is perhaps the most challenging question posed by such a proposal, as it is a novel issue whether Congress may use this clause to require an individual to purchase a good or a service,” said the CBO.
