Editor,

With all of the gloom and doom in the news these days about the drop in housing values, stock values, and increase in lay-offs it looks like we're in for some tough times. That is just what Logan needs. The economy is already slow. We don't need it to slow any further!

I don't have the perfect solution to solve everyone's problems, but I do have an option that may help. I'm advising students who are doing research to help the Air Force plan for the future. We're looking 10 to 20 years down the road. My own research in this area led me to some interesting ideas that may help you prepare for the future and increase your quality of life in these tough times.

The United Nations has a bunch of smart guys who get together and try to forecast what the future will look like. It's a little like casting bones to me because I like solid evidence, but these guys are the best in the world so I'll cut them some slack. One idea that struck me was that people will use the Internet to do work. That's actually not that far in the future.

Sites like www.guru.com, www.elance.com, www.rentacoder.com, and others allow you to connect with employers from around the globe who need work done. Go to www.google.com and search for freelance website and see what comes back. Who knows, you might just land your dream job and not even have to leave the house!

Michael Jarrells

Prattville, Ala.