At least one company remains untouched by the nation's financial collapse. Exxon Mobil Corp. smashed its own record for quarterly profits today, ringing up $14.8 billion in net income in the third quarter powered by soaring summertime crude oil prices. Exxon Mobil's earnings, at $2.86 a share, are up 58 percent from the same period in 2007 and higher than what analysts expected, capping a week of strong profit numbers from the world's biggest oil companies, all of whom benefited from the spike in oil prices in July.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a new report on Monday that examines U.S. corporate tax rates in comparison to other countries with developed economies. The report finds that although the statutory tax rate on corporations in the U.S. is high (35 percent), the actual percentage of taxes paid (their effective tax rate) is well below the average of other similar countries.

In this week's Watcher, we write about how the political landscape for a fiscal stimulus package is shaping up. Essentially, everyone agrees there needs to be some sort of fiscal policy legislation called "a stimulus package," but that's where the agreement stops. At issue is the size and what elements should be included in the package. We get into these issues in the article, but here I wanted to flag what I think will be typical of the ensuing debate.

Pushing back against Democratic congressional leadership's call for another stimulus package, White House spokesperson Dana Perino told reporters: A lot of their discussions yesterday, as I understood it, are not necessarily items that we think would stimulate the economy. Additional benefits to individuals who may need support during an economic downturn aren't necessarily stimulative. And yet, about three weeks ago, the non-partisan Congressional Research Service issued a report on the economic slowdown saying just the opposite.