Free Republic

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve on Tuesday may send a clear signal it is prepared to print more money to support a faltering economic recovery if necessary. The central bank is widely expected to renew its vow to keep rates near zero for "an extended period" and markets will watch closely for signs officials are growing more concerned the recovery is at risk or that there is danger of falling into a damaging vicious cycle of falling prices and slowing growth. Evidence the already sluggish recovery has lost momentum has shifted discussion at the U.S. central bank from exit...

AUGUST 19, 2009 College-Entrance Test Scores Flagging ROBERT TOMSHO Only about a quarter of the 2009 high school graduates taking the ACT admissions test have the skills to succeed in college, according to a report on the exam that shows little improvement over results from the 2008 graduating class. The Iowa City, Iowa-based ACT said 23% of this year's high school graduates had scores that indicated they were ready for college in all four ACT subject areas, or had at least a 75% chance of earning a grade of C or better in entry-level courses. Last year, a similar ACT...

One of the most intriguing mysteries of Georgia politics began on a dark evening in January, when a little red car turned off a road in rural Pike County and eased up the driveway of Mitch and Bonnie Mordas. The visitor was ushered into a basement office. Preparations were examined and approved. The driver of the red car handed over several thousand dollars in cash, payment in advance.The customer left with a receipt made out to "Cash."A week or so later, on the day of Gov. Sonny Perdue's inauguration, three planes owned by the Mordases circled downtown Atlanta for 11...

Atlanta-- The state flag continues to be a hot issue throughout Georgia. Tuesday, supporters of the former flag marched to the capitol to remind the new governor about his promise for a referendum. Several hundred old Georgia flags, which bear the St. Andrews cross, more widely known as the Confederate battle emblem, were paraded down the streets of Atlanta, on the way to the steps of the capitol.Leaders of the rally held a "pledge of allegiance" to the old flag. Old flag supporters sang, and played their message with enthusiasm. But quietly, from the sky, an airplane towed a message...

Jekyll Island -- For two hours, the protesters waited in the sweltering heat, with little shade except that cast by a small forest of old state banners with the Confederate battle emblem. As noon approached, a dark SUV escaped the nearby resort hotel and breezed by the dockside parking lot. It was what they'd been waiting for, and a handful rushed to the rope that separated them."Boo!""Traitor!"Gov. Roy Barnes had been "flagged." Again.For more than a year, this dogged band of protesters, connected by the Internet, has greeted the governor at nearly every public event in which he's participated.The flaggings,...