The Washington Post - "The Boom Was a Bust For Ordinary People" (2-3-08)

"It begins to sound a bit naughty -- all this talk about the need to "stimulate" the economy, as if we were discussing how to make a porn film. I don't mean to trivialize our economic difficulties or the need for effective government intervention, but we have to face a disconcerting fact: For years now, that strange stimulus-crazed beast, the economy, has been going its own way, increasingly disconnected from the toils and troubles of ordinary Americans."

The San Diego Union Tribune - "Foreign nations buying into the U.S." (2-3-08)

"Although Americans are alarmed by the credit crisis currently convulsing the economy, they are sensibly placid about one consequence of the crisis. It is the substantial investment by sovereign wealth funds – government-owned-and-run investment funds – in financial institutions needing infusions of cash."

The San Diego Union Tribune - "Money-market funds tanking? There are some other options" (2-3-08)

"Even before the Federal Reserve's latest rate cut last week, yields on money-market funds were dropping, leaving savers in a pinch. Now, the situation looks to get even uglier. Still, a few attractive alternatives remain. These include higher-yielding certificates of deposits and, for those willing to take on a bit more risk, some short-term bond mutual funds."

TownHall.com - "The Hidden Costs of Recession" (2-3-08)

"Remember the patriotic ruckus in 1989 when private Japanese investors bought Rockefeller Center? Remember the frenzied opposition two years ago to the attempt by a company owned by the government of Dubai to become the operator of some U.S. ports? Last month, there was no comparable anxiety when the sovereign wealth funds of Kuwait, Singapore and South Korea bought an estimated $40 billion of equity in Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and the Swiss bank UBS."

Yahoo - "More Data on Housing, Spending This Week" (2-3-08)

"The stock market has been on the upswing, but few investors are relaxing just yet. This week's data on housing, retailers and labor costs will give Wall Street an idea of whether the economy is weakening or inflation is accelerating -- or both."

Orange County Register - "Bidders seek bargain homes at Anaheim auction" (2-3-08)

"About 5,000 people, many of them looking for real estate bargains, filled a hall at the Anaheim Convention Center on Saturday for an auction of foreclosed homes. Julie Finaldi of Corona and her husband picked up a two-bedroom, 900-square-foot house in Riverside with a winning bid of $150,000. Under the auction rules, a 5 percent 'buyer's premium' was added to the bid, resulting in a sale price of $157,500."