Second presidential terms are never easy even for George Washington. More often, they're fraught with peril, frequently marred by scandal, failure, hubris, and burnout, and souring relations with Congress.

Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, paid $1.94 million in federal taxes on last year's income of $13.7 million, for an effective tax rate of 14.1 percent, his campaign said Friday.

Speakers at the Democratic National Convention portrayed President Barack Obama's presidency in glowing terms Tuesday evening, but sometimes left out important details or embellished his record.

The weak economy and high unemployment concern Americans the most, polls show. Yet much of the political heat generated lately has been over Medicare and Mitt Romney's tax returns.

Average student loan debt recently topped $25,000, up 25 percent in 10 years. Some of the borrowers are Baby Boomers, near or at retirement age.

Fifty percent of U.S. workers earned less than $26,364 last year, reflecting a growing income gap between the nation's rich and poor, the government reported Thursday.

Even if Congress heeds President Barack Obama's demands to "pass this bill right away" and enacts his jobs and tax plan in its entirety, the unemployment rate probably still would hover in nosebleed territory for at least three more years.

America's sickly economy can be healed with jobs, jobs and more jobs. On that, everyone agrees. Figuring out how to produce them is what is stumping everyone.