By Bob Blandeburgo Associate Editor Money Morning

Stimulus measures in Japan helped the world’s second-largest economy grow at its fastest pace in more than two years, but it’s unlikely policymakers will reduce spending despite the nation’s rapidly growing debt.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in Japan grew at 4.8% annual rate in the third quarter, surpassing all the forecasts of 20 economists polled by Bloomberg News. That follows a revised gain of 2.7% in the three months ended June 30, according to Japan’s Cabinet Office. Japan’s economy grew 1.2% on a quarterly basis.

“The turnaround in public investment has definitely contributed to the rebound in GDP, so if they do start to cut it’ll weigh on growth,” Hiromichi Shirakawa, chief Japan economist at Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE ADR: CS), told Bloomberg.

Stimulus measures around the world helped Japan’s exports grow 6.4%, but as global economies withdraw stimulus measures,

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has an impressive record with passing big votes, but according to this article on The Hill a robust public option may be too much for the Congress to handle. Pelosi is relying on a complex series of whips to keep the factional Democratic party in line. There are two votes that will be particularly hard for her to get: Rep. Frank Kratovil (Md.): Kratovil is considered one of the most endangered Democrats in this year’s freshman class. He became the poster child for incivility when protesters hanged him in effigy. So it was a surprise when Pelosi snagged his vote on climate change by making Maryland farmers eligible for as much as $1 billion in incentives for reducing emissions. But she might not get him this time; Kratovil has said he’s a no on the healthcare ...

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Investors …

This post provides links to a number of interesting articles I have read over the past few days that you may also enjoy.

• Conor Clarke (The Atlantic): An interview with Paul Samuelson, part one, June 17, 2009.

• Mohamed El-Erian (PIMCO): Beware of the “business as usual” mindset, June 2009. We are facing a world of lower growth and accelerated country realignments. Policy experimentation will remain the norm for much longer than most expect. All of this constitutes an inherent part of the world’s bumpy journey to a new normal. It is a reality that also impacts key elements of successful investment management - in particular, asset allocation, manager selection and risk management. It calls for some critical re-tooling of mindsets, institutions and approaches.

• George Soros (Financial Times): The three steps to financial reform, June 16, 2009. While markets are imperfect,

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The ratio of the US budget deficit to GDP is at the highest it’s been at any point since World War II. Except there are no Nazis to fight. The only war going on is Team Obama’s war against capitalism.

Governments like to ‘stimulate’ the economy; it makes them feel like they’re doing something. They also, quite rightly, believe it will help them win elections. What they don’t like to think about is the long-term consequences of their actions.

Stimulating the economy is relatively easy. The Treasury borrows money and sets up a $700 billion slush fund for “too big to fail” corporations. It calls it the TARP and does what it likes with the money with little or no oversight. The Treasury then borrows more money and sets up a separate $787 billion slush fund – this time for Democratic Party pet projects. This gets spun as an “economic recovery package.”

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What’s the true cause of inflation? Jimmy Carter underrated? Really? And what makes Von Mises right after all these years? Read on to find out…Thank you (once again) for all your excellent responses on the Obama-Carter connection. When your thoughts and comments roll in, my only lament is a lack of space in which to reply.

Well, that and one other small quibble. Where are all the haters? Surely more of you must think I’m off my rocker, or otherwise dead wrong somehow. Let’s start off with a rare bit of snark just for sport…

The lessons learned from the past…8 years of taking us down…and now a dynamic leader trying to pull it together…and presenting a better picture of America to the world…now, can you or Rush Bimbo do that?

– TD reader NB

Rush who? I’m not up on the guy, as I haven’t paid attention to him since the early ’90s.

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TODAY: Energy war a real risk says Kremlin security report; Gorbachev complains Russia misunderstood on international scene; more talk of Putin comeback; Russia vetoes OSCE mission in Georgia; gay demonstrators risk violence at Saturday marchA new security policy paper has highlighted espionage and the fragility of the economy as threats to Russian security.  Energy is however the main issue: 'in a competition for resources, problems that involve the use of military force cannot be excluded', the paper warns.  According to the Times, the Arctic is cited as the focal point for energy conflicts.  Is the fact that the Kremlin's report was published on the same day as the UN's deadline for filing claims to the seabed coincidence or publicity stunt?  Russia ...

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Businesses worry U.S. money to bring rules, regulations Companies in the U.S. are concerned that the government’s push for improved accountability and transparency in stimulus spending will bring with it additional rules and regulations, a study by auditing and consulting firm Deloitte found. Of the executives responding, 58% said they do not think it is possible to make a link between stimulus spending improved transparency. Reuters (20 Apr.)

Watchdog: Chrysler rejected loan to dodge executive-pay rules: The U.S. Treasury’s special inspector general for the bailout of Chrysler and General Motors said Chrysler Financial, which loans to Chrysler dealers and car buyers, turned down a $750 million federal loan to avoid limits on executive pay. Chrysler Financial said in a ...

Remember Natalia Morari (Morar)?  She was once one of Russia's most intrepid young investigative journalists, working for the news magazine the New Times.  She uncovered a few blockbuster stories about connections between an Austrian bank, a money laundering scheme which may or may not have been related to the government, and the murder of central banker Anderi Kozlov (we posted translations of both pieces).  Her reward for these journalistic achievements was not a Pulitzer-like prize, but rather expulsion from the country back to Moldova.  In an interview with Grigory Pasko for this blog, Morari says that she believes she was exiled in relation with her investigative reporting on corruption, where she named names like Bortnikov, Sobyanin, and Surkov.Now Morari is back, right ...

A lot of investors woke up recently to find their money had ‘disappeared’ in Bernie Madoff’s $50 billion Ponzi scheme. And it all happened under the noses of the regulators. Byron King says there are probably many more scammers out there. And the US government is among them. He says this just strengthens the case to buy gold and silver.

This from Whiskey & Gunpowder:

What if you woke up one day and there was a flying saucer sitting in the middle of Central Park? It would change your view of the world, if not the universe, right? At least that’s the idea behind the newly released remake of the classic 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still.

And what if you went to bed one night and thought that you had money on account in a fine silk stocking firm? What if you believed that you and your family were well

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