Answering the Call – Today is the federal government's observance of Veterans Day, the day the nation honors those who have served in the armed forces. CRFB salutes and thanks all veterans for their service. We hope our elected leaders and the rest of us can be inspired by the example of our veterans and strive to serve as best we can to make this nation stronger.

Decision Time – Election Day is tomorrow and the stakes are high. Not only is control of the White House and Congress at stake, but the election will also have repercussions for the federal budget and national debt. Although it will be the current group of policymakers that will address the fiscal cliff (or not) in a post-election lame duck session of Congress, the results of the voting will no doubt play a role in the deliberations, which could very likely spill into next year.

Storm Brewing – The Northeastern U.S. is being impacted by the freak concurrence of several major storms that has caused major population centers like Washington and New York to effectively shut down. The economic impact from the so-called “Frankenstorm” is expected to be substantial. Not far off is another tempest that is brewing that also represents numerous events coming together.

Today, The Hill released its list of the "25 Women to Watch," featuring rising stars in the political world, including Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, and our very own CRFB President Maya MacGuineas. Over the last few years, MacGuineas has gained greater prominence as the debt issue has taken on greater priority in Washington.  The piece highlights the great work and leadership she has contributed to the issue of deficit reduction.

We did not live fact check the debate last night, but the debate did include a little bit of fiscal policy, which is not surprising considering the intertwinement between the budget and our foreign policy. We will go into a few of the statements below.

Up for Debate – Election 2012 is entering the final stretch and it is still up for grabs. The presidential contest has been marked more by missteps than by anyone stepping up and observers are waiting to see who will mimic the Washington Nationals and Redskins and give it away at the end. The third and final presidential debate is tonight at 9 pm Eastern Time and is the last time the contenders will go head to head.

Vice President Joe Biden and Representive Paul Ryan (R-WI) will take the stage in Kentucky tonight at 9:00 PM E.T. in the Vice Presidential Debate. In the last debate, President Obama and Governor Romney spent a good deal of time in the last debate discussing fiscal policy -- though we hope each candidate gets more into the details tonight.

The wait is finally over. Tonight in Denver will be the first of the three presidential debates, and there will be an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates about their plans to take on our federal debt problem.

Fix the Debt co-founders and Fiscal Commission co-chairs Al Simpson and Erskine Bowles have been busy traveling around the country speaking with Americans about the dangers posed by rising debt and deficits. Yesterday at Wake Forest University, Erskine and Al laid out our fiscal math and the simple message that comes from it -- that future deficit and debt levels are unsustainable.

Late last week, the Senate passed a continuing resolution (CR) by a 62-30 vote to keep the government funded for the next six months with only a week to spare before the start of the fiscal year. The government will be funded at a $1.047 trillion annual rate through March 27 of next year, representing a 0.6 percent increase for each of the 12 appropriations bills over last year.