Who in his wildest dreams ever thought we would see a headline reading, China Urges U.S. to Protect Creditors"?

For those of us who grew up in an America that was the undisputed leader of the free world, an America that waged war against the communist East, an America that was the largest manufacturer and largest creditor in the worlds economy -- to those of us boomers who played a part in that particular piece of American history, these are indeed sad times.

With hundreds of millions of dollars riding on their decisions, House and Senate negotiators remained sharply divided Wednesday about how to balance the health and human services budget.

The House and Senate exchanged proposals that included major differences on Medicaid payment rates for hospitals, nursing homes and physicians. Also, they split on issues such as the Medically Needy program, biomedical research and mental-health and substance-abuse treatment.

Senate Bill 2040 must clear the Senate Budget Committee by day's end, according to the latest timetable. Still bottled up by Chairman J.D. Alexander, the heavily amended measure would require employers to use the federal E-Verify database or Real ID-compliant driver's license identification to screen new hires.

The driver's license alternative was added by Judiciary Chairwoman Anitere Flores, but the addition has not garnered support.

Friday's scheduled launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor marks the penultimate end of an era, and continued uncertainty over what's to follow.

For Florida's Space Coast, the phase-out of the 30-year shuttle program means the beginning of the loss of some 9,000 NASA-related jobs. President Barack Obama's attendance at the launch will be bittersweet, since his administration's space policies have triggered the drawdown of the region's employment.