One wouldn't think someone would criticize one of the few growth sectors in the United States that has managed to remain intact and in good health during the nation's decade of economic descent, but that's what author Elizabeth Becker does.

In an op-ed article in The Washington Post, Becker argues against global tourism -- one the few bright spots in the U.S. economy, and also increasingly a source of income for many developing nations -- saying it's "a planet-threatening plague."

The U.S. unemployment rate is rising. The U.S housing sector is in its worst slump in a generation. Oil prices remain sky high. Business investment is sluggish. The investment banking community and most in the financial community in/around Wall Street, have a perpetual look on their faces of 'waiting for the other shoe to drop.' And now an argument is being made against one the U.S.'s few growth sectors -- tourism. You can just see the late Jackie Gleason, The Great One, looking down upon all this and saying, "What is the world coming to?"

Last week the company that hopes to build a nuclear power plant in Idaho, Alternative Energy Holdings Inc. (PINK: AEGC), announced it would sue the environmental group Snake River Alliance for calling them "scammers" in a TV interview -- a local TV interview.

The company explained that they had to hold this environmental group responsible because the "world wide reach of KTVB and KTVB.COM" was causing them "substantial damage." Calling the company "scammers" on KTVB was "aimed at harming the company's stock and defaming company officials bringing down the stock price," according to this Associated Press report in the Idaho Statesman.

I'm sure the company and locals have got into a fiery battle and that the local activists say lots of inflammatory things. But KTVB still doesn't have the power to sully Alternative Energy's name around the globe. But, do you know what does? An Associated Press story on this lawsuit.

No matter what the suit's outcome people will start wondering about the company. Waste News, the influential trade magazine of the waste disposal and energy industries, picked up the story. Idaho blogger Dan Yurman predicts the suit will just lead to more donations to Snake River Alliance and more scrutiny for the company.

You know what else could really hurt the stock price? A story like this one this month in TradingMarkets.com, which says "Last week, New York-based auditors Rotenberg & Co. reported the company had lost so much money that it raised "significant" doubt about its ability to continue. Company officials said nearly $5 million in losses would not stop it from moving forward." Wouldn't a story like that hurt the stock price more than the local Idaho TV news?

While the horrific oil spill by the Exxon Valdez happened all the way back in 1989 (yes that was 19 years ago!), Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) is still in litigation over how much it should be forced to pay in damages.

Last month, Exxon Mobil won a big victory when the Supreme Court (in a 5-3 decision) lowered the company's punitive damages from $2.5 billion all the way down to $507.5 million. While this was good news for Exxon Mobil, there was one little detail left to work out -- interest on all that money. Of course, Exxon Mobil does not want to pay that interest, and today the Supreme Court decided that a lower court needs to make this decision.

So just how much interest are we talking about here? Roughly $500 million and counting, as Exxon announced earlier that the victims of the oil spill have requested $488 million in interest. This works out to about $15,000 per victim.

What does this amount mean to Exxon? Ten hours of sales. That's right, ten hours. You would think the company would just pay the money and be done with the whole mess, but Exxon will continue to fight and will have its day in the lower court of appeals.

Given the smorgasbord of economic demands and concerns -- domestic and foreign -- likely to face the new U.S. president, investors (and taxpayers) can justifiably ask 'Where's all the money going to come from to pay for these programs?'

Legitimate question, but one, for now, we'll let the political process sort out. (Current Gallup Daily Tracking Poll as of August 6, 2008, for the U.S. presidential election: Obama, 46%, McCain, 44%.)

Electing U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, or U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, will produce different programs and revenue priorities, due to the parties' different sources of power, but the argument forwarded here is that -- regardless of who becomes the new president -- the office holder should address transportation in a comprehensive way. Here are the major concern areas:

• Mass transit: We're early into the $4 gas era, of course, but initial U.S. Department of Transportation data indicates Americans are driving less and using mass transit more. The trouble is, many mass transit systems (rail, commuter rail, subway, bus) need to be expanded/upgraded to handle the increased ridership. Bigger, better mass transit systems will save the United States hundreds of billions of dollars in oil costs, not to mention the environmental benefits.

If the nation's oil companies are having trouble getting more crude out of existing fields, perhaps the solution is to put rigs in Yellowstone National Park.

"Green" environmentalists may be in for bad days. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Increasing U.S. oil production would require overturning decades-old moratoriums that limit offshore drilling and accelerating leasing of federal lands." It may come down to whether eagles and black bears mind oil exploration in the regions where they live.

Forest animals may not care, and that could be the crux of the argument. Although oil spills are not unheard of, they have become exceedingly rare. Bringing out oil from protected land may have very little environmental risk.

In some ways, opening restricted land may be the only way to save lower class and some middle class Americans from gas and oil prices so high that their spending ability is being crushed.

What black bear would want to see that happen?

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

In the equities asset class, there are show horses -- high-profile, glamorous stocks that receive considerable news coverage; and work horses -- lesser-known stocks that don't receive a great of coverage, but get the job done, nonetheless. Put Waste Management decidedly in the latter category.

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WMI) is the No. 1 waste disposal company in the United States. The company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery services to 21 million residential, industrial, municipal and commercial customers. WMI operates more than 430 collection operations and 277 landfills.

Analysts like WMI's strategy to sacrifice collection volume in favor of maintaining its pricing strategy and margins.

Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, today unveiled a new $210 billion federal spending plan that he says would create jobs in construction and environmental services.

The Obama proposal would invest money over 10 years in two programs, the largest of which would be a $150 billion effort to create 5 million "green collar" jobs to develop more-environmentally friendly energy sources.

The remaining $60 billion would fund a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to rebuild the nation's highways, bridges, airports and other public facilities. Obama said the construction fund would create nearly 2 million jobs, many of them in construction directly - - a sector hard-hit by the housing sector's correction - - the nation's most severe housing slump in more than 20 years.

Rival Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, called Obama's effort unoriginal. Neera Tanden, Clinton's policy director, said Obama was offering ideas Clinton proposed months ago. "Voters may ask themselves that if Senator Obama cannot produce his own ideas on the campaign trail, how will he solve new problems as president?" Tanden said in a memo e-mailed to reporters, The Associated Press reported.

Furthermore, the Republican National Committee, which seeks to portray Obama as a tax-and-spend liberal, included Obama's plan on its 'Obama Spend-O-Meter.' The Republicans assert that Obama's announced programs would add $850 billion in federal spending over four years, including health care, education, national service and foreign aid programs, among others. The RNC's web site did not break down the asserted total by year, but economist Steve Affinito told BloggingStocks Wednesday, assuming equal, annual appropriations of $212.5 billion, the total would not be an unreasonable nor an unwarranted outlay, from an economic standpoint, in his interpretation.

"I don't know where the RNC obtained its $850 billion total, but for the sake of argument, even it was $220 billion per year, that's fairly modest, given the services it includes, including universal health insurance," Affinito said. "Also, given the current state of the economy we may find we may need another $150-$200 billion economic stimulus this year, just to keep the economy growing. So in that regard, Sen. Obama's proposal is insinc with the times and a net positive for the U.S. economy."

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries may reduce production when it meets next month as part of a strategy to try to keep the price of oil above $80 per barrel, Bloomberg News reported Friday.

Market pullbacks and periods of protracted economic sluggishness are not the most tranquil circumstances, to say the least, but they do create value plays, and with the above in mind, Ashland is worth a review.

Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) is a global, diversified chemical company that's involved in the plastic, resin/polymer, water treatment, and oil-change fields.

Analysts expect high-single-digit revenue growth for Ashland's water technology and Valvoline segments, but softer growth in performance materials and chemicals.

Further, a restructuring initiative is yielding cost reductions; margins remain adequate. Moreover, there is a sense that ASH's shares do not reflect the improving outlook in many of ASH's businesses, and ASH's p/e of 14 speaks to that undervaluation. The Reuters FY 2008/FY 2009 EPS consensus estimates for ASH are $3.19/$3.83.

Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI) is banning plastic bags from its 270 locations. The switch to a choice between reusable bags and paper will take effect on Earth Day, April 22.

It's certainly a bold move and demonstrates a lot of concern for the environment. It will also spruce up Whole Foods' image as an environmentally-conscious retailer and generate a ton of free publicity for the company, starting with the New York Times story.

Whole Foods has served as a trend-setter for the larger grocery chains, and this move could inspire stores like Kroger (NYSE: KR) and Safeway (NYSE: SWY) to make similar switches, depending on how it works out.

During its trial runs, Whole Foods found that eliminating plastic only led to a 10% increase in paper bag use, demonstrating that consumers tend to switch to the reusable bags.

That's good for the environment, and it also cuts costs: Even Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) has taken notice by phasing in reusable bags as a third option. The plastic bag seems destined for obsolescence.

The 21st century may be the end of the "Plastics, young man!" era.

Just call Metal Management a junkyard king, or one scrappy company.

Metal Management (NYSE: MM) is one of the top metal recyclers in the United States, recycling ferrous and nonferrous metals, including aluminum brass, copper, and stainless steel.

Analysts like MM's wide recycling footprint (50 recycling centers in 17 states) and large client base (steel mills, integrated steelmakers, foundries, copper refineries, and metal brokers). Further, the company's customers span the globe.

Revenue is expected to increase about 30-32% in F2008 after a more than 40% increase in F2007.

Operating expenses are under control. Meanwhile, as recycling gains traction from both financial (it's profitable to recycle) and ethical (it's good for the environment) standpoints, look for investors to attach a higher value to the shares of recyclers such as MM. The Reuters F2007/F2008 EPS consensus estimates for MM are $3.22/$4.57.

The First Call mean rating for MM is: Buy. [3 firms.] Mean 2008 target: $50.00. [high: $60, low: $42.]

Stock Analysis: Metal Management is a moderate-risk stock not suitable for low-risk investors. Investors with an investment horizon longer than two years should be rewarded from MM's shares. Sell / Stop Loss if you were to purchase shares in this company: $24.

DISCLOSURE: Joseph Lazzaro has no positions in stocks. In addition to private real estate holdings, he owns corporate and municipal bonds, and cash certificates of deposit.

General Electric (NYSE: GE) and Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG) could be two big winners if the revised Energy Bill passes the U.S. House and is signed, as expected, by President Bush.

The bill, which moved to the House Tuesday after passage by the U.S. Senate, phases-out the use of incandescent light bulbs in the U.S., Bloomberg News reported Tuesday.

The primary replacement bulb technology, at least for next half-decade, would be fluorescent light bulbs, which typically use only 25-30% of the energy of comparable incandescent bulbs. Philips, the largest light bulb maker in the world with sector leadership in Europe, is expected to be a major beneficiary of the law change, along with No. 2 bulb maker General Electric, the leader in U.S. light bulb sales.

A spokesman for President Bush said the president will sign the legislation. Opposed to the original bill, President Bush reversed his stance after lawmakers revised the bill and dropped both a tax increase for oil and gas companies and a requirement that some utilities get 15% of their power from renewable sources.

For long-term plays, the preferred investment is a company with a demonstrated business model (10 years), in an established market, with an average total annual return on equity of 20% during that span.

To be sure, First Solar (NYSE: FSLR) does not fit that profile, but it's worth a review, given both macro fundamentals and the company's outlook. Note: Underscoring, this is a high-risk stock.

First Solar uses an advanced, thin-film technology that uses cadmium telluride semiconductor material to convert sunlight into electricity. With a global polycrystalline silicon shortage holding back some producers of solar cells, First Solar's glass as substrate, coated with cadmium telluride can march ahead, while others await their raw materials.

By now, many investors/readers have heard the statistic: if ExxonMobil's 2007 revenue of $390.2 billion were listed as GDP, it would rank as the 31st largest nation in the world, in purchasing power parity terms.

It's easy to criticize Exxon (NYSE: XOM). When you're the world's largest integrated oil company in a world that's increasingly seeing both the financial and environmental costs of oil, it's hard not to be criticized. Moreover, Exxon, like other oil companies, may face additional operational constraints regarding fossil fuels, moving forward -- particularly if the Democratic party wins the White House in 2008. Further, it's not entirely clear that the company will remain a leading provider of energy when that energy becomes primarily renewable and alternative.

The Bush administration opposes a United Nations draft proposal calling on developed nations to make binding emissions cuts of 25%-40% by 2020, Bloomberg News reported Monday.

A U.N. draft document will call for industrialized nations to implement those cuts as part of a proposal to replace the Kyoto Protocol, Reuters reported Monday. Representatives from 187 nations are meeting in Bali for global climate talks.

Environmental and international group leaders hope to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012, with the new U.N. agreement, preferably by 2009. The United States is the only developed nation to reject the Kyoto Protocol. U.S. senior climate negotiator Harlan Watson said Monday that the U.S.'s "principal difficulty with having any numbers in the text to begin with is that it might prejudge outcomes,'' Bloomberg News reported.