Free Republic

Don't even think about it, Ben. That's the message Capitol Hill is sending the Federal Reserve chairman regarding a possible third round of quantitative easing after Peter Diamond withdrew his nomination to join the Fed Board of Governors today. The Nobel prize winner -- Bernanke was once a student of his -- certainly had the credentials. But the Senate had sat on his nomination for 14 months. Republicans objected to his support of the Wall Street bailouts and the Fed-s aggressive monetary policy, including its current "QE2" $600 billion Treasury buying program... There's some speculation that the Fed could adopt...

Airplane maker Hawker Beechcraft Corp. told employees Tuesday that 2,300 of them will lose their jobs before the end of the year and warned more layoffs may be coming. In a letter to workers, Chairman and Chief Executive Jim Schuster said most laid off workers will be notified by Friday. Nearly 500 Hawker Beechcraft workers also lost their jobs late last year. In addition to declining orders and deliveries, the Wichita-based company is facing a host of new challenges, Schuster said. "The government's stimulus package has failed to sufficiently loosen credit markets, which are absolutely vital to the success of...