Was last year’s $787 billion fiscal stimulus too small? Or just ill-conceived? Or was it doomed to fail from the start? Or perhaps the money was spent too fast. Or too slow. At least it’ll be easier to access broadband in a few states.

Warren Buffett has become more accessible over the years, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Some of our best friends actively seek out attention from the media. Still, it’s hard not to notice how things have changed. Once upon a time, a Buffett quote was a rare and wonderful thing. Now, he’s just one more talking head on TV. Oh, well. It’s the 21st century. And it’s really all about the money anyway, right?

Our subscriber-only newsletter–The Beta Investment Report–is one year old this month. To celebrate, we’re offering all Capital Spectator readers a bonus issue with a paid annual subscription. That’s right, 13 issues for the price of 12. There’s never been a better time to hone your strategic investment intelligence. And now you can do it at a discount, albeit for a limited time.
Here’s how it works. Subscribe for 12 months at BetaInvestment.com. Once your subscription is confirmed, send us an email with the word “Bonus” in the headline, along with a reference to the date you subscribed, and we’ll add an extra issue to your subscription–no extra charge. (Even better, if you subscribe for 24 months, we’ll throw in 2 extra issues for free.)
But remember, this offer is only good through Jan. 31, 2010.

The housing market has been looking for a bottom for years. Has it finally located the floor? There’s a fresh glimmer of hope on that front via this morning’s update on new housing starts and building permits issued. Sort of.

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Politics doesn’t normally infiltrate these pages, but sometimes the news is too potent to ignore. The upset election last night of Scott Brown as the Bay State’s U.S. Senator certainly fits the bill. Indeed, Republicans are a rare bird in Massachusetts, but they’re slightly less unusual today. Meanwhile, the ramifications for economic policy, healthcare and some other issues swirling about in Washington are suddenly ripe for rethinking.

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