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 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.

The potential costs and risks for all three governments are too large to expect any one of them to alter course greatly

The PPI numbers generally have been running higher than the CPI numbers, showing that the higher production costs are not being passed on.

The president's big message today is that our economy is growing strong, which puts us in a position to address other issues that workers are concerned about: rising health care costs and energy issues.