►  In today's NY Times -- "Public option" in health plan may be dropped -- The White House, facing increasing skepticism over President Obama’s call for a public insurance plan to compete with the private sector, signaled Sunday that it was willing to compromise and would consider a proposal for a nonprofit health cooperative being developed in the Senate.

►  Today from AP -- Former Gov. Dean calls public option indispensable -- The former Democratic Party Chairman says he doubts there can be meaningful health care reform without a direct government role. Dean urged the Obama administration to stand by statements made early on in the debate in which it steadfastly insisted that such a public option was indispensable to genuine change, saying that Medicare and the VA are "two very good programs that have been around for a long time."

►  From McClathy -- Who's behind fight against health care reform -- Much of the money and strategy behind the so-called grass-roots groups organizing opposition to health-care reform comes from conservative political consultants, professional organizers and millionaires, some of whom hold financial stakes in the outcome.

►  At MSNBC.com -- Making sense of it all: Health care (video) --  NBC Nightly News features the stories of Seattle businesses Cupcake Royale, Sonic Boom Records and Velouria Boutique, whose owners are supporting health care reform as part of the Washington  Small Business for Secure Health Care Coalition.

►  In today's NY Times -- The Swiss menace (Paul Krugman column) -- The Democratic health reform plan most resembles the system in Switzerland, despite comparisons to Britain and Canada. We can do this. At this point, all that stands in the way of universal health care in America are the greed of the medical-industrial complex, the lies of the right-wing propaganda machine, and the gullibility of voters who believe those lies.
 

►  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Artificial outrage cloaked as patriotism (column) -- Dissent is patriotic, but shouting down those who disagree with you is not. Neither is threatening, shoving, hitting, painting swastikas or otherwise rendering reasoned debate impossible. That’s the cynical behavior of people who have little faith in their ability to win the debate. So they pick a fight and try to win that instead.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Health-care reform: Distortions doom end-of-life counseling (editorial) -- In the end, sensible end-of-life counseling proposals in health-care reform had to be dropped, because too few Americans bothered to understand what was being proposed. From a practical standpoint, consultations must be removed from the legislation to save more-pressing elements of reform. Willful distortions of optional end-of-life counseling spiraled out of control. This is not a proud moment in American politics.

►  In the PS Business Journal -- Don't let "government-run" debate derail health care reform (op-ed by a guy from WA health insurers group -- if you can't read this story, email us) -- Let’s hope the focus of this discussion can shift from the public-private debate to the more critical issues of universal coverage, controlling medical costs, improving medical efficiencies and fiscal responsibility.

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Facing revolt from allies, Speaker Chopp has to mend fences (Joel Connelly column) -- The Seattle Democrat spent much of the decade building a 62-member majority. But Chopp has taken shots after a session in which the axe was taken to numerous social programs. Growling sounds are audible from labor, greens and "net roots" activists.

►  In today's Columbian -- Trepidation over a workers' compensation rate increase -- Employers in Clark County are bracing themselves for a hefty increase in workers' comp insurance premiums of as much as 20% in January. But L&I officials are quick to say nothing has been decided.

►  From Bloomberg -- In reversal, Sen. Specter to support Senate vote on EFCA -- Sen. Arlen Specter, the self-described “decisive vote” on a union organizing bill stalled in Congress, reversed his position and said he will support efforts to bring the so-called card-check legislation to a vote. Specter, a Pennsylvania Democrat who left the Republican Party in April, said he expects a vote to occur on a “modified” Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for workers to form a union. “I will support that cloture vote,” Specter, 79, told a bloggers convention in Pittsburgh.

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Trumka to Netroots Nation: Keep telling the truth -- AFL-CIO Secretary- Treasurer Richard Trumka won a standing ovation for pointing out the critical role of the netroots in fighting corporate domination and amplifying the voice for progressive change. “God bless you for looking at power and saying, ‘We won’t back down’,“ Trumka tells them.

►  In BusinessWeek -- The Postal Service's bid for deliverance -- The fiscal crisis has some in the Postal Service and its unions suggesting that the USPS is uniquely positioned to capitalize on its regular access to every U.S. residence, business, and post office box. "We should experiment with utilizing our 'last mile' advantage in areas beyond traditional mail, whether that means conducting the Census or national polling, delivering medications, or helping law enforcement in any number of ways," says new NALC President Fred Rolando.

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Air traffic controllers reach agreement with FAA -- Three months after the Obama administration opened the door for mediation in negotiations between the Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA) and the FAA, the two sides have reached a landmark tentative agreement.

►  In today's Wall St. Journal -- San Francisco averts rail strike -- ATU last week called for a strike by BART operators that was to begin Monday after the BART board imposed the terms of a one-year contract that was a 7% pay cut. But a tentative agreement was reached Sunday.

►  In today's LA Times -- Workers bracing to say goodbye to Toyota auto plant -- Most industry analysts believe it's a foregone conclusion that the Japanese automaker will shut California's last remaining auto plant. That leaves 3,600 union workers to hope against enormous odds.

►  In today's LA Times -- Grim forecast for LA., Long Beach ports -- A new assessment finds that the nation's busiest seaport complex will need at least four more years to fully recover. 

►  From Reuters -- U.S. pay czar says he had power to "claw back" exec compensation -- Kenneth Feinberg says he has broad and "binding" authority over executive pay, including the ability to "claw back" money already paid. He is weighing how and whether to use that power.