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Treasury Secretary Paulson thinks state and local governments should be permitted to issue tax-exempt bonds that would fund programs to prevent foreclosures.

Analysts caution Treasury’s plans to help subprime borrowers will not completely save banks from home loan pain. “If you postpone the inevitable, you’ll just draw out the pain for a longer period of time,” Nandu Narayanan, a portfolio manager at hedge fund Trident Investment Management, told Reuters.

Others, reacting to an expectation on Friday that Treasury is seeking to freeze mortgage rates, said it seems unfair to bail people out.

What are your thoughts on the government’s effort to try and stem foreclosures stemming from resets on subprime mortgages?

Calls have been made for the words of ”God Save the Queen” to be changed because they are out of date and are non-inclusive, the man tasked with reviewing citizenship for the government has said.

Lord Goldsmith, the former Attorney General, said there were problems with some of the later verses, particularly references to “rebellious Scots”.

The patriotic song, which may date back to the seventeenth century, became the national anthem at the start of the 19th century.

Most people can remember the first few lines, but others are less well known. They include:

O Lord our God arise, Scatter her enemies, And make them fall; Confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks, On Thee our hopes we fix, God save us all!

 From every latent foe, From the assassin’s blow, God save the Queen! O’er her thine arm extend, For Britain’s sake defend, Our mother, prince, and friend, God save the Queen!

Lord grant that Marshal Wade May by thy mighty aid Victory bring. May he sedition hush, And like a torrent rush, Rebellious Scots to crush. God save the Queen.

The author was anonymous, but you can put your name to a new 21st century version.  

Send us a verse for modern times.

Google Inc. has confirmed plans to bid for the airwaves that will soon be given up by television broadcasters. The frequencies, known as the 700 MHz band, will be put up for sale in a government auction that begins on Jan. 24.

Google’s interest is sparking speculation on what they’ll do with the airwaves if they win. Blogger Om Malik breaks down the process and sees the potential for a broadband communications network. Robert X. Cringely, a tech writer, is speculating that Apple Inc. is linked to to Google’s bid.

What do you think Google plans to do if it wins? Build a nationwide WiFi network linked to the Internet via the new frequencies? An alternate cellphone network? Sound off in the comment box below.

A Northern Irish man is convicted of racial harassment for calling a Welsh woman an English bitch.

There may not be much love lost between the various parts of the United Kingdom — particularly where the English are concerned — but the judgment of Welshpool magistrates appears to add a new dimension to the relationship.

The man, Mick Forsythe, used the insult against Lorna Steele after a minor traffic accident in Wales. He says the sentence is political correctness gone mad; she says she couldn’t let him get away with what he said.

What do you think? Was racial harassment too heavy a charge to bring or was it justified?

Every politician in the presidential race claimed to be fighting for the middle class, and it seemed a sound strategy — until the Democratic front-runners tried to define who, exactly, was middle class. While Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama couldn’t agree during a recent debate whether someone earning $97,500 or more could be considered middle class, voters have little difficulty judging who isn’t — the presidential candidates themselves.

What do you think is the income range for a middle class family in America today?

Teacher Gillian Gibbons, who was jailed in Sudan for allowing her students to name a teddy bear Mohammad, has been pardoned by the country’s president.

She was sentenced last Thursday to 15 days in jail for insulting Islam.

Gibbons, 54, had left her home town of Liverpool in July and had only been in Sudan for four months. The case rapidly escalated into a diplomatic incident and Muslim hardliners in Sudan protested after Friday prayers. The Muslim Council of Britain has said it is “appalled.”

But should Gibbons have perhaps been more aware of the possible consequences of so naming a toy animal? She may not have been in the country long but she must have known of the furore in 2006 when a Danish newspaper published cartoons of Mohammad and of the sensibilities of producing any image of the Prophet.

Is this just a case of an innocent abroad or a serious failure to take into account the possible dangers to Westerners of living and working in strict Muslim countries?

Tell us your view.

Stocks rallied for a second day as the financial sector  stocks extended their comeback. Remarks by Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn raised hopes of an interest rate cut.

Are the banks out of the woods? How long do you think the rally will last?

A survey has shown most workers think the atmosphere in their offices resembles a graveyard. How many ghosts are there in your office?

Nearly two-thirds of those asked told Microsoft and The Work Foundation that the main thing they look for in a job is friendly colleagues.

Only 11 percent said their workplace provides a creative environment.

Are you one of the lucky few? Tell us about your office life.

The government says Heathrow must grow to cope with the huge surge in air travel.

A third runway, sixth terminal and thousands more flights over the capital have been proposed.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly says “aviation plays an essential role in the UK’s economic growth” and the airport must expand.

British Airways estimates that an expanded airport could be worth 9-10 billion pounds a year to the economy.

But they face fierce opposition from environmental campaigners and many people who live under the flightpaths leading to Heathrow.

Opponents say the expansion would be an environmental disaster, increasing noise, pollution and environmental damage.

Campaigners say the growth in air travel has to be checked.

- Do you support the government’s airport expansion plans? Do you think Britain’s airports need to grow? Would it help your business?

- Or do you oppose the proposals? Do you worry about the effects on the environment? Do you live under the flightpath?

- Would you take fewer flights to help the environment?

Send us your comments.