Here’s some election news that is both encouraging and troubling.

The good people of Minnesota are leaning heavily toward passing a constitutional amendment that would authorize a statewide sales-tax increase to provide more money for the environment and the arts, according to a telephone poll of likely voters commissioned by the Star Tribune newspaper.

Fifty-nine percent said they planned to vote for the amendment, and 32 percent said they would vote no. Support for the amendment came from all age, income and gender groups, and was also favored by both urban and rural voters.

Despite strong support for the amendment, however, very few Minnesota voters really know what it would do. Read more...

What's so smart about Smart Cars? Sure, their small size (at first glance, they seem to be no bigger than a large roller skate) makes them easy to maneuver in and out of city traffic, and you can park them almost anywhere, but does their small profile translate into big savings on fuel? And what about safety? Can a car the size of your shoe keep you safe on the road?

Learn more about Smart Car safety and fuel economy, and whether they're worth the sticker price, by clicking on the link and reading the article.

_{Photo courtesy of Spike55151/Flickr}

Faced with the threat of a presidential veto that would have shut down the federal government in the midst of an economic crisis, congressional Democrats reluctantly agreed to allow the offshore drilling ban to expire on September 30.

Renewal of the 26-year-old offshore drilling ban was included in the stopgap funding bill that is needed to keep the government afloat financially until a new president and Congress can take office and make a number of major spending decisions. President Bush had threatened to veto the bill unless any restrictions on offshore drilling were removed.

Now that the offshore drilling ban is set to expire, and the Republicans’ mantra of “drill, drill, drill” is another step closer to reality, there are still important questions that remain unanswered:

• What will happen when the offshore drilling ban expires?
• What effect will the loss of the offshore drilling ban have on the environment and the economy?
• What chance will there be of reinstating the offshore drilling ban when the next Congress convenes and a new president occupies the White House?

  Finding strategic solutions that will enable the United States to strengthen its economy and meet its energy needs without causing irreparable harm to the environment is one of the most important challenges facing the nation and its leaders today. Removing the offshore drilling ban and opening America's coastal waters to oil and gas exploration raises more questions than it answers.

In a year when every presidential candidate is talking almost daily about energy and the environment, and staking out positions on issues such as global warming, offshore drilling and nuclear energy, you might assume that many voters would be deciding how to cast their ballots based on how the candidates plan to address those issues once they become president. According to a recent Gallup Poll, you would be wrong.

Read more...