The one thing we can be confident of is that the books are cooked. We don't need to know who cooked the books to know that there is deep trouble for this company ... Bankruptcy reorganization looms and that the creditors are going to start looking for deep pockets to sue.

The ongoing task of debt management for the federal government will clearly be very different in the years ahead than it has been in the past, when debt was rapidly increasing, ... With $3.6 trillion in debt outstanding, even a 3 basis point (0.03 percentage point) reduction in federal borrowing costs will ultimately produce savings of more than $1 billion per year.

The only advantage for the Bells to go to court would be if they are looking to fold their operation and want someone to blame. I have no reason to think that's the case here.

The only big races that all North Carolinians will have to judge will be our court races. And they should be interesting.

The only clear picture we have from the job cut numbers this year is that employers appear to be confused about the direction this economy is taking, ... Companies are experiencing increased business, but they are also seeing their costs soar due to higher fuel prices, inflation in supplier prices and a weaker dollar, which makes it more expensive to buy foreign parts.