They are saying this oil spill could be worse than the Exxon oil spill that happened in 1989. Needless to say, there couldn’t be a worse timing for something like this to happen. Not everyone really understands, however, why an oil spill is really bad news.

Ecologically it could spell a disaster. In the Gulf of Mexico the ecosystem is at a very helpless stage.

Economically it poses the threat of even greater disaster. Florida has already declared a state of emergency and the latest news is that Alabama has now done the same.

More than 200,000 gallons of the oil are spewing out and because there is an unlimited supply of oil, this spill could go on for months. The substance of this oil is also an issue as it’s very heavy and creates a gooey substance. It’s just one big mess.

For some this has a positive side because it takes the focus off so many other issues going on in our country. I think the oil spill is really bad news just for that reason. We don’t need the focus to get us too far off from the important issues still tackling our country.

Every once-in-a-while politics will get this nice little break. Suddenly we stop paying attention to what our politicians are doing and that can be very bad news for all of us. There are still some serious issues going on.

Our eyes are off healthcare. Senior advisor David Axelrod has said that the health care passage is a bigger deal than the 2008 election. Remember how important that election was? If it is a bigger deal, we better get our eyes back on the issue.

The issue of immigration has stepped up several hundred levels with the recent bill in Arizona that will authorize police officers to stop suspected illegal immigrants. We better get our eyes back on the issue.

Sarah Palin’s email hacker was found guilty on two of the four charges. I think this opens up another can of worms about infringing on the right to privacy. We better get our eyes back on the issue.

The economy has grown at a 3.2% pace during the first quarter of 2010, which might sound optimistic; however, it is much lower than the 5.6% of the fourth quarter in 2009. Federal spending continues to go on. We better get our eyes back on the issue.

This oil spill is definitely a serious issue. But it’s one of many. I can’t help but find that the black sludge of the oil represents the black sludge attempting to cover our nation. There is so much gook getting into our country and some of us don’t even realize it. We keep going about our daily tasks, catching the news every once-in-a-while, clucking our tongues at the catastrophes that surround us but just keep going on as if everything is okay. Everything is not okay so we better make sure that we keep our eyes where they need to be.