These are both difficult topics for me to handle. As an avid Obama supporter, my enthusiasm is being drained by the running commentary of the election. Both of these articles come from the New York Times, where I have been reading outstanding articles in support of Obama all summer. Now, however, perhaps in the face of a sluggish economy or maybe because we finally got rid of Clinton, many of the editorial contributors I have read all summer are practicing caution when speaking about Obama.
One of the most interesting issues I find myself contemplating (I am not one for judging the economy, so I avoid that hurdle) is offshore drilling. A recent conversation with a friend revealed how much I truly don't understand about how deeply this in entangled with the economy. My friend feels drilling needs to occur to lower gas prices and stimulate the economy (let's pretend that offshore drilling would actually help in the next year), and I argued the point of Thomas Friedman, that oil prices need to stay high in order for the economy to find different ways of functioning. He argued back that just talk about drilling lowers the price of oil because speculators back off. I argue that if not now, when?
Here is Friedman's article. One of many, I should say. Friedman does have his critics, but I have to support the way he manages to find practical examples and analogies to strengthen his arguments.
What is interesting for me is that I have done research on green jobs this summer for an article I wrote. The industry is growing at such a rapid rate that community colleges in Florida (not known for its advanced education programs) are adding "green" tech programs to their curriculum to help fill the need for installation and development of solar water heaters and other products. Workforce Florida is shelling out half a million dollars to get the program started, and training a the colleges has already begun. This investment supports the fact that alternative energy sources can also be a source of economic stimulus.
