"Examines trend toward digital means of consumer payments, asking several questions: How will digital money evolve? What impacts will technologies such as wireless devices have on payment for goods and services? What other technologies await consumers? And what will the consumer payments...

Updates and expands the assessment of the long-term budgetary outlook, addressing such issues as the collapse of the congressional budgetary process and the threat posed by the termination of discretionary spending caps. Concludes with a look at how the nation's deficit will affect America now...