Free Republic

WASHINGTON - Even though he's not running for re-election this year, President Bush knows just what he would focus on if he were: the economy and taxes. As Republicans face an increasingly tough political outlook, in part because of Bush's sagging approval ratings, the president offered some advice Monday to GOP candidates in the midterm elections. "If I were a candidate ... I'd say, 'Look at what the economy has done. It's strong. We've created a lot of jobs. ... I'd be telling people that the Democrats will raise your taxes. That's what they said. I'd be reminding people that...

New research shows a potential link between prosperous times and fatal heart attacks. Careful what you wish for. You're more likely to die from a heart attack when the economy is strong and unemployment is low, new research shows. An uptick in the nation's economy corresponds to an increased number of fatal heart attacks, according to a recent study by University of North Carolina-Greensboro economist Christopher Ruhm. The study, which tracked heart attacks against economic activity from 1979 to 1998, found that when unemployment drops by 1%, the number of heart-attack fatalities grows by 1.3%. Why? A go-go economy generally...