Jim

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court ordered the federal government on Monday to take a fresh look at regulating carbon dioxide emissions from cars, a rebuke to Bush administration policy on global warming. In a 5-4 decision, the court said the Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from cars. Greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the landmark environmental law, Justice John Paul Stevens said in his majority opinion. The court's four conservative justices -- Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas -- dissented.

I have one pair of skis, BD Crossbows 171/115-83-105. I've used them for most everything, from 3 ft of pow in the Wallowas to spring skiing on Shuksan. Probably don't play as well as a big board in the powder but I like having one pair. Mounted with hammerheads.

Rats! Is this the funky little campground where you used to be able to rent a fishing raft, the guy would trailer it and you to the upper reach, and then you had to just float and fish you're way back? This is a big drag. Construction is set to start this month at a fly-fishing-themed private get-away called Canyon River Ranch in the Yakima Canyon. The 68-acre site has been a campground and the home of Red's Fly Shop, a combination fishing store, boat rental business and guide service. When completed in 2008, the private resort will have nine cabins, a lodge with communal ownership, a vineyard, an outdoor hot tub and pool, and a new building for Red's Fly Shop with a deli and wine shop. The property is midway down the 31-mile canyon that meanders along the west side of U.S. 97 from Ellensburg to Yakima. It's 13 miles from Ellensburg and 18 miles from Yakima. Mithun is the architect for the $10 million project. MF Williams is the general contractor. Previous owners Red and Marlene Blackenship decided to sell the property to Richard Leider, Dr. Anthony Robins and Steve Joyce in 2002. Leider is a Bellevue-based real estate consultant. Robins is an orthopedic surgeon whose wife is a childhood friend of Leider's wife. That connection brought the two men together to fly fish with Joyce, Robins' nephew.

You can never discount the possibility, but given the latest stats and what I've seen what houses are going for there seems to be no slowdown lately.

I don't think the Bay area is ever going back to any reasonable definition of affordable. And up here in Seattle: Seattle's housing prices aren't falling like those in much of the country, but the supercharged increases of two years ago have definitely slowed. The latest figures, from Standard & Poor's S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, show Seattle-area house prices were up 11 percent in January from the same month in 2006. That was the largest increase among the indices' 20 cities -- 11 of which posted year-to-year declines http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/309149_housing28.html?source=mypi

Maybe deferred gratification is a thing of the past. I want, I want, and I want it now. I think if more folks budgeted as if they could loose their job next month things would be a bit different. Including the McMansion and McSUV syndrome.

When I was a youngin a remember the rule that any parent in the neighborhood was worth listening to. And they cared enough to pull you over once in a while to say cut the crap and fly right. Whoa boy if my old man heard something from a neighbor that one of us were acting up - that was trouble for us.

Hey - if it were easy it would be called snowboarding! Now you're going to be even slower to the bar to buy a round.

Which is an indication of how confrontations that would normally result in, maybe, a black eye, escalate to more serious harm when a gun is handy.

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year-old Texas rancher, whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to former Texas Governor George W. Bush and his elevation to the White House. The old Texan said, "Well, ya know, Bush is a 'post turtle'." Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a 'post turtle' was. The old rancher said, "When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle." The old man saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain, "You know he didn't get there by himself, he doesn't belong there, he doesn't know what to do while he's up there, and you just want to help the dumb shit get down."

I think is has something to do with "government should keep off the backs of citezens - unless dealing with minor drugs, abortion, religion, or the moral issue de jour.

The issue before the 9th circut was narrowed down to the "right to life" by the plantiff because the previous Supreme Court decision regarding CA drug laws forced them into this; it was only hand they had to play given the earlier rulings. It is unfortunate we're so uptight about minor drug use for those who need it medically.

I'm sensing a lack of security in your position. Rather than address the issues raised you'll point to another linkly link. Here's the scoop again. Any argument on how capitalism might be modified is looked as a slippery slope for the Friedman adhereists. It's quite entertaining to see how they tie themselves in pretzels trying to explain how 0 taxes on corportions will set us free, how subsidies to agribusinness is less of an issue than raising the minimum wage once every 10 yrs, and the burden, or the burden that the corporte elite are carrying upon their shoulders. It's just crushing. Amazing how any business can get done under such unfavorable conditions in the US. It's, well it's analogous to a sweatshop environment, it is for GE for crying out loud. Gotta pack for work in AK - see ya.

Matt - don't go letting critical thinking enter the picture. Try diversion. It seems the usual tactic.

I took a couple of days off from searching gopher tortise holes (w/ that proctologist camera thing) and managed a some rope time at JT. While making the last clip on overhang bypass on Intersection Rock the rope somehow found its way under my right arch. I went to flick it away with my foot whild clipping and - opps, barndoor and off and an ungraceful pendulum. Some other climbers on the ground did clap for me however. I pulleyed back up and figured that at 50 I still did not want to be a chickenshit on a 5.7 so I didn't give up the lead and finished it. My partner came up and asked - everything alright hoss?

The item that is missing is some intellectual honesty. Throwing up the straw man example - Why do you hate capitalism? - any time the pursuit of unmitigated greed and the its social consequences merely displays the lack of confidence by its adherents to reply to critics. No one is saying to throw out the baby with the bathwater. But to cling to the holy grail that the pure pursuit of financial gain is going to address social ills is folly. Also note the lack of any criticism by the Friedmanites of the lack of free capitalism in this country. Huge corporate subsidies and tax breaks, favorable public policy for merely opening a business in a jurisdiction, huge non-bid contracting through political connections. Most complaints are not about capitalism but unbridled capitalism that verges into plurocracy. As long as the corporations and individuals with political power get a break that's called the free market. Try and come up with a solution that doesn't do away with capitalism, but merely trims around the edges and the fanatics begin to yell socialism, communism, blah, blah. It seems to be the usual scenario to duck the issues and sling mud. Good job.

OK one more reply. This is a bunch of crap. You have to be kidding. Capitalism has been a positive feedback loop for the corporations and the elite. The social welfare net in the US is in tatters while the corporate tax rate is at a historical low. Forces hostile to capitalism? You're kidding right?

Well at least folks are bring up some very good books and films on the subject this morning. The Road to Hell is a very sobering look at the subject. I have two friends on in Ethiopia (been there 8 yrs) the second in Bolivia (3 yrs). Both are doing work in health care/poverty issues and these folks are not wide-eyed, but they are optomists. Sometimes I wonder why. From working with these two groups, and help to raise funds, by biased assesment is that folks drop into one of three catagories. 1) those naive people who will donate to any cause and think they're doing something worthwhile, 2) those who will never donate to anything because it will be "wasted" and would rather spend it on another triple mocha something every day, and 3) those who care, but are skeptical and ask the right questions. Give that we have so much resources in this country I wish there were more of #3. Jay- check out "Acts of Faith" for a good read on religious intentions in sub-saharan Africia. Carry on - gotta pack up for field work in the high desert of CA for a week.

This was an excellent program and really puts the subject in persepective. But, no. On second though. It's better to do nothing.

Fair enough. An opinion rather than some link. We're proud. So you're conclusions are 1)charitable donations will be squandered. and 2) wealth (and supposedly related health issues) are a "process" problem not a lack of "wealth" problem Seems like the Gates Foundation has be rather successful managing funds. They are very effective. So the straw dog of just handing it over to corupt regimes is not valid. There are other models. I'm also sure that countries in Africa and Asia would be glad to know that they have no wealth problem, that they just have to tinker with the "process" 8D

Certainly there is abject poverty in Third World countries that is far and beyond what is going on in the US. No doubt. I think the general point is that for such a rich country we are failing in many social measurements. Health care access in emergency rooms? Well that has proven to be extremely expensive and does nothing for long-term well being. People go to the emergency room when they are desperate, not for maintaining their health. And we do regularly turn away people for medical and dental care. For being the richest of developed countries we spend a smaller percentage than most for helping the lower end of the economic spectrum. Should we be redistributing income to help raise them up? Certainly not, but IMO, we can be doing much better in securing the health and education of the non-elite portion of our population. Current request to Congress from the Bushies for the Iraq and Afgan adventures $100 Billion, on top of the already allocated $70 Billion. Just to the end of this fiscal year.

At least this is a logical conservative viewpoint. Thanks. I'm confused though - the chart you show refers to Income, while the paragraph before it refers to Disposalble Income(?). Right off the top though the poor in other countries have access to health care, child care, and other welfare programs not available in the US. This link http://www.unicef.org/pon96/indust4.htm shows the effect of child poverty after considering federal programs. You're argument of considering the relative income scale has merit, but it looks like the US still comes up short compared to most developed countries. But we do have the No Child Left Behind Law (sans funding).

So back to the original thread. What's the point PP. Why get you shorts twisted over some private institution?

Actually my original quote was wrong. Actually the US is doing worse than I said in poverty rates, but better than two countries in federal spending. Now that we've crossed the Ts and dotted the Is PP do you actually have anything of substance to contribute? Or are you going to link to some right wing blog social commentary, copy and paste, and then step away from any opinion?

OK let's clear it up for you. The US came in worse than Russia and Mexico in poverty rates. They did better than only Russia and Mexico in the percent of resources they devote to federal poverty programs. Time to troll the right wing blogs now for some obscure linky link.