The Dubai debt default seems to have inspired a bit of fear in the U.S. But is there any real reason for it?

Will the federal government ever take more control of the nation’s energy policy? At the Carbon Economy conference in Washington in mid-November, Duke Energy ( DUK ) CEO Jim Rogers stole the show when he broached that idea. Today, each state has tremendous power to manage its own energy needs; governors and state public utility commissioners decide how much electricity is generated, from which sources — renewable or traditional fossil-fuel — and how much the electricity will cost.

Ten states facing budget disasters . ________________ I’m sort of jealous: The richest members of Congress . ________________ I review my favorite books on the financial crisis .

Unemployment, which jumped to a 26-year high of 10.2% in October, will continue to be a dark cloud looming over the U.S. economy through at least next year, according to World Bank President Robert Zoellick. “If you have large-scale unemployment remain, say about [the] 10% level you have in the U.S., you’re going to see feedback effects,” Zoellick is quoted by Bloomberg News as saying.

Darwin’s Finance explains why the normal correlation between gold and the dollar has broken down. __________________ And speaking of which, The Intelligent Speculator figures out a new way to protect against inflation . __________________ Which biotech stock yields over 12% and sells for less than $10