Ahead of Memorial Day Travel, a Timely Drop in Gas Prices

Viewer Nancy writes to economics correspondent, asking: "What happens to long-term care insurance in the new health care? I have paid for long-term care for over 10 years. My Board Certified Elder Law Attorney told me it was my 'best decision.' Was it?"

Viewer Sam Katz asks: "Even though government bond prices fluctuate daily, wouldn't you get back your original investment if held to maturity plus interest along the way?"

Patchwork Nation has an update on the economic picture in Hopkinsville, Ky., a Military Bastion community. Thousands of service personnel from nearby Fort Campbell are back from overseas deployments -- and spending money in local businesses.

Economics correspondent writes a pair of responses to his austerity/stimulus post of a few days ago, which he notes illustrates the current conflict in economic ideology quite nicely.

"If an emergency situation arises, does it ever make sense to pull money from a retirement fund such as a 401(k) rather than going into credit card debt to keep from going into the red? The fear of short-sightedness is paralyzing," writes a viewer in a Q&A for economics correspondent Paul Solman.

A meditation from economics correspondent Paul Solman on the center-stage question facing the U.S. and Europe: stimulus or austerity? In economic jargon, Keynesian or the Austrian School? In plainer terms, save or spend? But which is the right answer?

The public sale of Facebook shares on Friday didn't soar as some had expected. Margaret Warner talks to Arvind Bhatia of Sterne Agee and Rob Cox of Reuters' Breakingviews about what Facebook needs to do to keep its audience and advertisers.

A viewer writes in, asking when inflation comes around, why not raise taxes instead of interest rates, which could be used to reduce/eliminate the deficit, which would help the economy so you could raise taxes even more in what appears to be a positive feedback loop?

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Jeffrey Brown during a factory tour Thursday in Baltimore that he couldn't understand why the debate over the federal debt limit is back again. They also discussed how regional Federal Reserve bank boards are established and how President Obama will campaign about jobs and the economy.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told the PBS NewsHour's Jeffrey Brown during a factory tour Thursday that he couldn't understand why the debate over the federal debt limit is back again.