Need To Read: September 17, 2009

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You come to Mother Jones for unique journalism, and we love doing it for you. That's it. That's the upshot of our fall fundraising drive, and we're hoping to raise $250,000 in a shorter than normal three-week window so we can keep right on doing it.

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Today’s must-reads:

Five ways to improve the Baucus bill (Ezra Klein)
The proponent of one of those five ways talks it up (Sen. Ron Wyden/NYT)
The worst policy in the Baucus bill, and possibly in the world (Ezra Klein)
Chart comparing Baucus bill’s affordability with Massachusetts’ plan (Nicholas Beaudrot)
Retailers battle credit card fees (WaPo)
Court okays Haliburton rape case involving Iraq contractor–which had been blocked partly due to Dick Cheney. (MoJo)
Real-life “Norma Rae” dies after battle with insurance company (MoJo)
“Obama refuses to be their n*****. And it’s driving them crazy.” (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Are Obama’s judges really liberal? (The New Yorker)

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