It is harder to predict how Mr Obama's proposed reforms to the failing health-care system will turn out.

interested in political and economic reforms

On the other side are parents like Mike jia, one of the thousands of Asian-American professionals who have moved to the district in the past decade,who said Aderhold's reforms would amount to a "dumbing down,"of his children's education.

However, once China began embracing free-market reforms in the 1980s, followed by India in the 1990s, both countries achieved rapid growth.

One reason why pension and health care reforms are slow in coming is that politicians are afraid of losing votes in the next election.

the proposed reforms will affect too many people's interests

The good news is that a bill just approved by the House and a bill approved by the Senate finance Committee would implement or test many reforms that should help slow the rise in medical costs over the long term.

The Senate bill would create an independent commission to monitor the pilot programs and recommend changes in Medicare's payment policies to urge providers to adopt reforms that work.