Economy -- Sector for Stimulus 2.0?

• Housing Hardball -- Why not go to the slowdown's source, some legislators ask? With foreclosures skyrocketing in certain parts of the country and home values falling almost everywhere, some in Washington are pushing a follow-up stimulus package aimed at shoring up the housing sector...
  • Per Lawmakers Plan Another Housing-Related Stimulus Bill in yesterday's WSJ, the National Association of Home Builders support one idea floated by Senate Democrats, a tax break allowing companies with operating losses this year or the two previous years to apply them to past years for a refund...
  • A provision backed by the president would allot an additional $10 billion in bond authority so housing-finance agencies can give more help to people refinancing subprime loans or first-time buyers.
• Energy and the Economy -- Last week, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) along with co-sponsors Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the American Renewable Energy Act. The bill would create tax incentives for private sector investment in renewable energy resources and technology by extending tax incentives, such as the production tax credit, for 5 years. "Of course, this covers wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and other forms of renewable energy, and making sure that is in place so we can spur the kind of investment that will create jobs"... A solar "panel" was very nearly attached to the Senate version of the stimulus package earlier this month, to the surprise of many...

Rebate: How Much will you Get? -- Kiplinger offers this calculator. Budget: The Medicare "Trigger" -- The Center on Budget has this analysis and commentary on the 45 percent Medicare "trigger' which provides that, if the Medicare trustees' reports issued in two consecutive years estimate that the 45-percent limit will be exceeded within the next six years, a "Medicare Funding Warning" is issued, and the President must submit — and Congress must consider — proposals to prevent the limit from being exceeded.