Mr. Pinkham writes, “In recent months, we’ve seen CEOs marched before Congress to explain their roles in the housing crisis, the auto crisis, the Wall Street crisis and - now - the oil spill crisis. Some have performed better than others, but most have made mistakes that tarnished their reputations or created political fallout for their companies. ”

To read the complete article, click here.

He writes:

At the same time, the metro areas have become more diverse. The study suggests that we have to think about replacing old categories such as the Sun Belt or the Rust Belt with a seven-way categorization of the places where most Americans live — depending on overall growth rates, diversity, and levels of income and education.

As the report notes, “viewing metropolitan America through this lens offers a more nuanced view of the country and its variable challenges than conventional regional generalizations. The South, for instance, counts at least one member in each of the seven metropolitan categories, as very different demographic destinies confront Atlanta versus Augusta, or Miami versus Palm Bay.”

Washington is one of only nine metro areas where the decade’s population growth, diversity and educational attainment all have exceeded the national average. The other eight are all west of the Mississippi, concentrated in Texas and found also in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, California and Washington state.

At the other end of the scales are the 18 low-growth, low-diversity, low-educational areas centered on the old industrial cities along the Great Lakes and spreading into the Northeast and the Southeast.

The report suggests that future political conflicts may well develop along the lines of demarcation between the growth areas and those lagging in population. But it also uncovers political struggles between the aging populations, ill-accommodated in many suburbs, and the young populations expanding into those same suburbs.

For Mr. Broder’s full column, please click here.

• The state program which allows inmates from state prisons to work at the Governor’s Residence has become too lenient under Gov. Strickland, according to a report by Inspector General Tom Charles. [Columbus Dispatch]
• Meanwhile, the falling out over a “sting” operation at the Governor’s Residence continues, with Gov. Strickland dismissing a recent Inspector General’s report. [Columbus Dispatch]
• U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown is calling for stricter regulation of Wall Street, despite resistance from the Obama Administration. [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
• Desperate to stop the oil leak which is already washing up on the Southern coast of the U.S., BP has proposed a new plan of action. [New York Times]
• At least 28 deaths have been reported in severe flooding in Tennessee and other parts of the South. [Washington Post]