There have been rumors that Germany is coming to aid of Greece, but there are some formidable obstacles in such a ploy.

First EU law bars the European Central Bank or national central banks from bailing out EU members through buying their debt or offering loans, according to a German parliament research unit."There are no identifiable grounds for an alternative interpretation."

What might get the Republicans to bite on the jobs bill currently under formulation on Capitol Hill? A lack of an estate tax.

The bipartisan Senate bill that may come for a vote this week is not likely to include an extension of the estate tax, which expired at the end of 2009, Reuters reported Tuesday (however, Washington's likely, second heavy storm/blizzard in a week, expected to arrive Tuesday night, may delay the vote: most federal offices were closed again Tuesday for snow clean-up).

The way the price of oil has plummeted this week on the dollar's rise amid the flight-to-safety lends more support to the theory that if the U.S. budget was balanced, crude would fall, oh, about $30 or $35.

Oil is priced in dollars. Hence, when the dollar falls, oil's price usually rises, and vice-versa. Starting in 2001, the dollar began to weaken as the U.S. budget went from a surplus under President Bill Clinton to a deficit under President George W. Bush, with the euro strengthening from about 82 cents versus the dollar to the current $1.3605. During that time oil's price has more than tripled from the $25 per barrel crude price in 2001.

Nobody -- and I mean nobody -- has been secure over the past year and a half as the recession has touched every leader in every organization in every country. Does 'every' sound a bit extreme? Well, the latest news out of North Korea warrants it. The top dog over at North Korea's secret treasury, Kim Dong Un, has been bounced, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

North Korea's secret treasury, also known as Room 39, is one of the most secretive organizations in the most secretive country in the world. Its purpose is to bring foreign currency into a country whose own paper is of no value to anyone but coin collectors. Rumors abound as to how Room 39 actually accomplishes this, including forgery, drug trade and weapons trafficking among the means used.

What to make of the Tea Party at this junction? It's too soon to tell. You'll hear a great of rhetoric, and banter and hype, but regarding a systematic and professional evaluation of 'the TP,' there just aren't enough data points yet.

Hence, for now, place them in the category of a faction. Factions are more likely to be merged into an existing party, form a separate interest group, or disband.

Initial claims for unemployment rose by 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 480,000 in the week ended January 30. This surprised economists polled by Reuters who anticipated a drop in claims falling to 460,000 from a previously reported 470,000. A reason given for the rise was the backlog in filings due to short staffing at some state offices.

Meanwhile, the four-week moving average of new claims rose 11,750 to 488,750 last week. The number of workers still receiving aid after one week jumped 2,000 to 4.6 million for the week ended January 23. This too, was above expectations of 4.58 million. The percent of insured in the labor force was unchanged at 3.5%

You'll hear a great of discussion -- and hype -- relating to what will be the keys to the 2010 Congressional election, and the nation's outlook (sometimes called 'mood') in the period beyond it.

Further, although the 24-hour news networks will focus on a spectrum of issues, and while unexpected events (such an international crisis, or a scandal) can always come to the forefront -- the nation's mood is likely to determined in large part by one factor: objective economic conditions.

Political Science Scholar Larry Sabato co-wrote, The Party's Just Begun, which could also prove to be an apt phrase for the political climate in the months ahead in Washington.

That's because Congressional Republicans, emboldened by the securing of their 41st -- and filibuster-capable -- vote in the Senate as a result of Scott Brown's victory in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race, may now choose to lock horns with U.S. President Barack Obama, D-Illinois, over his proposed $3.8 trillion fiscal 2011 budget.

The Obama administration has a full-press program underway to reduce unemployment. One of their proposals is to provide $30 billion to community banks to spur lending to small businesses. The money would be transferred from TARP.

The big banks have been reluctant to lend to small businesses, instead preferring to use their money for in-house trading. This proposal from the Obama administration is viewed as an end-run around big banks.

The current investigation of the American International Group (AIG) bailout by Congress has brought to light the inner workings and secret deals that were made.

Center stage in the investigation is the New York Federal Reserve. There are 12 Federal Reserve Banks that operate under the supervision of Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, chaired by Ben Bernanke. Member bank presidents are appointed by the nine member board, who themselves are appointed by other bankers.

Take a picture: The implementation of a rational, self-reliant energy policy for the United States may be underway.

The Obama administration is expected to triple loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors to more than $54 billion in next year's budget, Bloomberg News reported Friday, citing two people familiar with the plan.

Health care reform remains in "File 13" (the waste-paper basket).

There is about a 1-in-20 chance that Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, will attempt to jump-start the process, but at this juncture, the chances are slim and none, and as that old joke goes, "Slim is out of town."

At this juncture, the only possible tack would be the reconciliation process. That would involve the U.S. House of Representatives first passing the U.S. Senate's health care reform bill as-is -- without any changes -- then have the House and Senate pass a second bill with specified changes under the reconciliation process, which enables a bill to bypass the Senate's filibuster and needs only a simple majority -- 51 votes – to pass the Senate. (The reconciliation process also streamlines committee review.) The reconciliation bill would have the changes some members in the House seek.

Former U.S. Treasury Hank Paulson was not subtle in his opening remarks Wednesday to a U.S. House committee investigating both the U.S. Treasury's decision to bail-out American International Group, Inc. (AIG) via 100% payments to its counterparties, and the U.S. Federal Reserve's quantitative easing policy.

Paulson, said had federal policy makers not acted to save AIG, a failure of the financial system could have ensued, and pushed the U.S. unemployment rate to a Great Depression-esque 25%, marketwatch.com reported Wednesday.

President Obama has been under severe pressure to rein in federal spending, both from Americans here at home as well as trading partners like China.

During his State of the Union message on Wednesday, Obama is expected announce a three-year spending freeze for 1/6 of the federal budget.

The proposal will include freezes in discretionary spending in the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Energy, Transportation, Agriculture and Health and Human Services. The freeze would affect $447 billion in spending or 17% of the total federal budget.

Health care reform in the United States, save a late coalition-building attempt by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, has been placed in 'File 13,' as they say inside the beltway, as a result of the election of Scott Brown as the 41st -- and filibuster creating -- Republican to the U.S. Senate.

Just say the Republicans have a 41-vote 'majority' now in the U.S. Senate.

As a result, the United States will have spent more than a year of money, energy, and time to achieve very little on the problematic issue of health costs/health insurance. The federal government's bill for Medicare and Medicaid will continue to rise at intolerable rates, private sector premiums will too, and the number of uninsured Americans, already at about 35 million, will continue to rise, as well.