In the NewsCybercriminals Target Local GovernmentsA new trend has local governments on guard: global computer hackers stealing their money.Legal IssuesSenate May Take Up Another Pay Bill Before End of TermProponents say the bill would help women pull even with men in compensation levels, asserting that women make only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. The issue takes on more urgency during a recession, they say, because women are the sole breadwinners in many households. Economy [Read Full Article]

Government, Politics, and the Economy Is It Too Early to Start Thinking About a Rebound? It may not feel like it yet in your town or in your industry, but there are indications that things are getting better. NYtimes.comManagement and OperationsHow to Not Go Out of BusinessStart by studying how your best customers interact with your brand and its competitors, then brainstorm ways to address any shortcomings. BusinessWeek.com Management and Operations [Read Full Article]

  Government and Economy After the Fed’s Money Flood, Will Democracy Need a Bailout? The bailouts may be the least popular government program in history, and if the Treasury needs more money to keep it going, who knows whether Congress would provide it? As a result, Treasury and the Fed have been running what Kevin Hassett, director of economic-policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, sees as a scam. Bloomberg.com Small Business Fights Back Against the Banks As banks pull back on lending and work to purge bad loans from their balance sheets, some small business borrowers are on the attack, filing lawsuits, putting out news release... [Read Full Article]

  Government and Economy Obama's Perplexing Tax Hikes There is general agreement that it's not a good idea to raise taxes during a severe recession. Yet, here we are in a long, deep recession, and President Obama's budget includes a large number of tax increases. What's the deal? SBECouncil.org Can Obama's Plan Stimulate Small Business Lending? The Obama Administration offered a plan to spur lending and help for small businesses, but the program carries some real risks for the government. BusinessWeek.com Management and Financial Issues [Read Full Article]

Government and Economy Gregg Nominated for Commerce President Obama has nominated Republican Judd Gregg to be Commerce secretary, a bipartisan gesture that the President insisted was necessary with such a troubled economy. Banks Failing to Lend Despite BailoutsThe federal government has invested nearly $200 billion in the US banking industry to spur new lending to consumers and businesses. So far, three months in, it has been a failure. Your Tax Dollars at Work: Wells Fargo's Vegas Casino JunketsWells Fargo & Co., which received $25 billion in taxpayer bailout money, has plans for a series of corporate junkets to Las Vegas casinos this month. Once a leader in subpr... [Read Full Article]

Government and Economy SBA Expands Emerging 200 Initiative to 15 Cities as First Group of Executives Complete Innovative New Program The U.S. Small Business Administration’s innovative Emerging 200 initiative will be expanded in the spring of 2009 to include five new cities – Detroit, Dallas, Denver, Jacksonville, and Portland, Ore. – SBA Acting Administrator Sandy K. Baruah announced today. New Action by Treasury and Federal Reserve Will Support Small Business Lending Late last week, the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve announced important details on how the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) wi... [Read Full Article]