Mitt Romney "fought back a vigorous challenge from Rick Santorum in Michigan on Tuesday, narrowly carrying his native state, and won the Arizona primary in a pair of contests that reasserted his control over the Republican presidential race as it advances to critical Super Tuesday contests next week," the New York Times reports.  "His victory over Mr. Santorum here in Michigan was far from commanding, but it was most likely sufficient to dampen the rising clamor from across the Republican Party about his ability to win over conservatives and connect with voters. The tussle with Mr. Santorum highlighted ample concerns about Mr. Romney, but his win spared his campaign from deep turmoil."

A recent New York Times article found how dependent many Americans are on public benefits, even while supporting candidates and policies that would wipe out such programs. I've just been through my own "wake up call" experience over the past two months. I oversee the care of my 93-year-old mother who resides in a group care setting in Manhattan. Over the past year, she had to be admitted to the New York Cornell Hospital on two occasions -- basically to get a full battery of tests -- once after a fall, the other time because of an infection. In both cases, things turned out well; no broken bones and an easily treatable infection. The bills, on the other hand, would have virtually wiped her out if she wasn't covered by Medicare. Between CAT scans, a couple of days of care in the emergency room and on the wards, x-rays, etc., the bills that I looked at exceeded $50,000 and climbing -- all fully covered, but an unmitigated disaster if she were uninsured.

Born out of necessity in this brutal economy there is now a different type of child support. This one involves teenagers looking for work in record numbers — trying to help their parents make ends meet. But it’s easier said than done. The most recent numbers from the labor department show California’s unemployment rate at 11.1 percent. For teenagers in our state, the unemployment rate is at a staggering 35 percent. It’s the highest in the nation behind only Washington, D.C.

In a fiery speech to the United Auto Workers, President Obama defended his decision to bail out the auto industry while ripping into Mitt Romney. Greg Sargent: "But this speech was about more than the auto-bailout. It was Obama's case for reelection. This speech constituted Obama's most ambitious effort yet to weave his defense of the auto rescue into the larger contrast he will try to draw between his vision and the 'you're on your own' ideology he will accuse Republicans of representing." Andrew Sullivan: "I worry it positions him a little too far to the left -- even if he is addressing a union crowd. But it sure doesn't make him look afraid or cautious or calculating, does it? It reminds us of the formidable orator any Republican is going to have to counter this fall, and the economic climate and real record that buttresses this president's case. It's why he'll almost certainly win Michigan this fall -- and maybe much more."