Tomorrow is SUPER TUESDAY!

I just went to electoralcompass.com and I scored closest to Obama and furthest from Huckabee. I'm really looking forward to voting tomorrow in my bell-weather state of MO! On a similar note, I got the chance to hear Obama speak last Saturday when he was in town. It was just amazing! He was so inspiring and so hopeful. I really feel that that he can make some positive things happen for this country. I, of course, was also happy to hear his plan to retain teachers and change No Child Left Behind.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Last week, the Senate passed a budget bill with a provision to drill in the Artic Wildlife Refuge. The vote was 52-47. This past week, the bill went to the House were moderate Republicans took a stand and refused to pass the bill with the provision tacked on! They also removed plans in the budget to allow states to authorize a lift on a drilling moratorium and allow oil and gas drilling in the Altantic and Pacific coasts. Go moderate GOPs!

So, what happens now? Well, the bill will have to be revamped, and hopefully the final bill will not include allowences to drill. This is not set in stone, however, becuase several conservative Repulicans say they will not pass the bill unless drilling is allowed. I think it is also important to note that the majority of the public is opposed to drilling in the artic refuge, according to a results released last Feburary from a poll on the matter: 53% said no to drilling, 38% said yes. Read about it here. If keeping the the Artic National Wildlife Refuge free from drilling is important to you, here is something you can do to help.

What (some) proponants to drilling say:

• solve the energy crisis/not dependent on foreign oil
• save money at the pump
• won't really hurt the environment
• won't effect any people

What (some) opponants say:

• Once drilling starts, it will be 10-15 years before we see oil and we'll have only 6month supply
• "It is expected that the price of ANWR coastal plain production might reduce world oil prices by as much as 30 to 50 cents per barrel... Assuming that world oil markets continue to work as they do today, the OPEC could countermand any potential price impact of ANWR coastal plain production by reducing its exports by an equal amount." -Energy Information Agency
• Go here to see how animals could be impacted. Go here to see what happend to Prudhoe Bay, a once pristine wilderness area that became a drill spot.
• Won't effect any people? Tell that to the Gwich'in People who depend on the at risk caribou for survival.

To learn more about this issue, go to:

• Artic National Wildlife Refuge. If you click here, you will see several great links.
• Save Artic Refuge - these pages are extremely informative from Defenders of Wildlife, a great organization.
• Alaska Wildlife League
• ANWR.org - find out what porponants say

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