Tuesday, April 02, 2002

Drilling for Jobs

A split in the Labor-Left coalition?

For some time now there has been a rift between the environmentalist wing of the Democratic party and its traditional support by organized labor. Some locals even endorsed Bush for President. Now the jobs-minded Teamsters are being encouraged to support drilling in the Arctic. Not that they need the prodding. To their credit, they know the difference between feel-good greenie obstructionism and an oil strike that could mean thousands of new, living-wage jobs. A flourishing economy needs affordable energy. And if exploiting 1% of an otherwise frozen wasteland can bring us that, then break out the diamond-tipped drills. It's nice to keep a polar bear from being annoyed by far-off noise. It's even nicer for a hard working American to be able to support their family with a steady job.

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