Week 12: The Next First (and Only) 100 Days - Thomas L. Friedman, NY Times

This week, Tom Friedman's column discusses the concept of 'The First 100 Days', and the conflicts that the next President will need to address (and hopefully solve) in the next 'First 100 Days'. First off, Tom Friedman mentions the gargantuan job crisis on which the future President will have to focus. He categorizes this crisis into three sub-crises: the crisis that resulted from the drop in consumer demand for goods/services, the crisis that resulted from citizens in long-term unemployment, and the crisis that resulted from I.T. job relocation to countries like India and China. By doing this, Friedman emphasizes the scope and scale of the crisis, and how difficult the resolution of this mega-crisis will be for the next President. To help alleviate this crisis, Friedman suggests the implementation of a short-term stimulus that expands the job markets of the future middle class, which no longer has the jobs in manufacturing American goods to depend upon. He calls upon President Obama and any future Presidents to implement a stimulus focused on 'jobs of the future' and the growth of hubs and networked urban areas.

Source: Friedman, Thomas L. "The Next First (and Only) 100 Days." New York Times. 10 Dec 2011: n. page. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/opinion/sunday/friedman-the-next-first-and-only-100-days.html?ref=thomaslfriedman>.

Week 11: "This Is a Big Deal" - Thomas L. Friedman, NY Times

This week, Tom Friedman's column discusses the potential impact of the deal between the E.P.A and the Department of Transportation. This deal calls for annual mileage improvements of 5 percent for cars (and about 5 percent for light trucks and S.U.V.'s) until 2025. It also requires that all automobiles made by U.S. automakers must reach an average mileage of 54.5 mpg in 2025. Tom Friedman applauds this step towards making the U.S. more environmentally friendly and the U.S. cars significantly more efficient. He also emphasizes the impact that this deal will have on the U.S.'s energy and environmental agendas, and how this deal will shine a positive light on President Obama (because of his support). Tom Friedman references different  organizations, such as the Global Automakers trade association and the Safe Climate Campaign of the Center for Auto Safety to highlight the positive results this deal encourages. He criticizes the conservatives who are against this deal, emphasizing the negative impact that their anti-E.P.A. efforts had on the US economy and auto industry and sarcastically claiming that their efforts are, "a thing to be proud of."

Source: Friedman, Thomas L. "This Is a Big Deal." New York Times. 04 Dec 2011: n. page. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/opinion/sunday/friedman-this-is-a-big-deal.html?ref=thomaslfriedman>.