5,500 — that’s the number of miles we share with Canada. It’s considered the longest international border in the world. But when it comes to patrolling that border, the federal government spends a sliver of its $12 billion budget there. That imbalance may come up when U.S. Senators travel to Montana later today and speak with residents about protecting the northern border.

The health care reform law calls for a big expansion of Medicaid, the federal healthcare program for the poor. But last year’s Supreme Court made that expansion optional. And some of the biggest states, with the most poor people, are opting out.

UPS said this morning with a warning that its profits will be lower than expected. What does that signal for the rest of the economy?