...what, utility-value trumps 'best practices'? The question is whether those "out-of-control" forest fires are an inherently bad thing. Don't like the potential for forest fires, don't build next to a forest. I live in a flood plain, I expect to get flooded every year.
Personal responsibility anyone?

Conservation measures and the construction of a viable public transportation infrastructure would do even more to reduce the our obsession with the Middle East.

Both of the energy approaches you two suggest are good and valid and not exclusive. Why not compromise and do both?


Z, what burns my checkbook is that we subsidize flood insurance of plutocrats living on barrier islands. Every hurricane that comes by has a potential to destroy multimillion-dollar beach houses and when it does happen you suckers, er taxpayers, help them rebuild.

Fed flood insurance is why people can afford to live in floodplains and coastal areas prone to storms and flood. Absent insurance, Hilton Head and much of the Florida Keys would return to being a few sleezy seaside bait stands and titty bars.

Its another great federal program run amuck. It was originally designed to help farmers and fishermen recover from disaster. Now it subsidizes Miami, NOLA, Houma, Mobile, Lake Charles Galveston, etc, etc. If people had to pay full cost insurance they'd be more likely to build inland and on high ground.

Botnst

The Chehalis River reach experienced a 100 year flood back in '96. Our house got 6" of water inside, requiring extensive remodelling and such. The previous owner ended up getting the house raised 3.5', all the interior remodels and a new roof at taxpayer expense. The FEMA guys apparently were throwing checks around the valley like it was election day in Mayor Daly's Chicago. This is a flood plain, but it's also highly productive farm country, with lots of organic cash crops contributing greatly to the local economy. I think it's grossly inefficient the way FEMA's currently setup with a one-size-fits-all approach, but there are cases where it does provide a benefit. Helping folks to move, or at least mitigate the problem (raising houses, etc.) seems to make the most sense. NOLA is a disaster waiting to happen, much like the travesty in Galveston Texas.

Tough to put an end to something perceived as being widely beneficial.....

__________________
...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"

Those people signified their opinions (our local paper informed us that 20-30 demonstrator showed for the rally in downtown Lafayete, a city of a bit over 100k people, I think everybody else was mowing their lawns),

Then there's this.

B

NEWSWEEK POLL: Campaign 2004

Bush and Kerry In Dead Heat In Presidential Head-To-Head

One Year After Start Of Iraq War, Majority (57%) Says U.S. Did the
Right Thing In Going To War

After Madrid Bombings, 48 Percent Say Attacks Close To
U.S. Election Day 'Likely'

NEW YORK, March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- President George W. Bush and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry are tied in a dead-heat that, if the election were held today, could see a repeat of the 2000 presidential election, according to the latest Newsweek poll; both Bush and Kerry received 48 percent among registered voters in a test match-up. In the Feb. 19-20
Newsweek poll, Kerry beat bush by 48 to 45 percent, but with a margin of error of three percentage points, that result was a statistical tie.

In a three-way match-up with Independent Ralph Nader, Bush would lead among registered voters with 45 percent, followed by Kerry at 43 percent and Nader at five percent, again representing a statistical dead-heat for Bush and Kerry. Bush's approval rating remains unchanged from the Feb. poll, holding at 48 percent (44% disapprove), and 46 percent of registered voters say they
would like to see him re-elected, up slightly from 43 percent in the last Newsweek poll (50% disagree).

A majority (52%) of registered voters say they have a favorable opinion of Bush, 51 percent say the same of Kerry (10 percent say they "don't know" and three percent say they had never heard of Kerry). When asked which phrases describe Bush, 67 percent say he has strong leadership qualities (55% say the same of Kerry). Majorities also say Bush is personally likeable (69% vs. 60% for Kerry); says what he believes, not just what people want to hear (62% vs. 45% for Kerry); that they would trust him to make the right decisions during an international crisis (56% vs. 46% for Kerry); and that he is honest and ethical (54% vs. 53% for Kerry). Less than half (49%) say Bush cares about
people like them, (compared with 52% for Kerry). On Bush and Kerry's political leanings, 34 percent of registered voters say Bush is too conservative (60% disagree), while 38 percent say Kerry is too liberal (46% disagree).

When asked about Kerry's Senate vote last year against the
administration's $87 billion request to fund the military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, almost half of registered voters (49%) say Kerry's vote will not affect their presidential vote; 27 percent say it will make them less likely to vote for him, 20 percent say more likely. Forty-eight percent say Kerry is politically motivated and changes his position when he thinks it will improve his image or help him win an election; 38 percent say he is thoughtful and changes his position as circumstances change or he learns more about an issue.

On which issue will be the most important in determining their vote for president this year, 24 percent of registered voters picked the economy, followed by terrorism and homeland security (19%), health care, including Medicare (14%), American jobs and foreign competition (13%), the situation in Iraq (12%), education (9%) and taxes (3%). Significant majorities say Bush would do a better job than Kerry handling terrorism and homeland security (56% vs. 35%) and the situation in Iraq (53% vs. 38%); 45 percent say he would do a better job of handling taxes (vs. 44% for Kerry). Voters say Kerry would do a better job handling the economy (47% vs. 43% for Bush), health care, including Medicare (53% vs. 37%), American jobs and foreign competition (50% vs. 39%) and education (46% vs. 43%).

One year after the start of the Iraqi war, a majority (57%) of Americans says the U.S. did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq (37% disagree). Nonetheless, 36 percent say military action against Iraq has done more to increase the risk that large numbers of Americans will be killed in a future terrorist attack, (up from 28 percent in the Dec. 18-19 Newsweek poll); 30 percent say it has done more to decrease the risk of attack, 27 percent say it has made no difference.

And more than half of Americans (55%) think the administration misanalyzed or misinterpreted reports that indicated Iraq had banned weapons (up from 36% in a Newsweek poll last May), while 35 percent disagree. People are more evenly split on whether the administration purposely misled the public about evidence of banned weapons (46% agree, a record high in the Newsweek poll; 49% disagree). A majority (53%) says the amount of money the U.S. is spending for postwar operations in Iraq is too high (34% say it's about right). A majority (55%) also says the U.S. should reduce the number of military personnel in Iraq and begin bringing troops home; 27 percent say it should keep the same amount of troops, 10 percent say send more troops.

In the aftermath of the Madrid bombings, a majority (54%) of Americans say the attacks haven't had much effect on their opinion of the Bush administration's approach to fighting terror; 24 percent say they're more likely to think it's the right one, 12 percent say less likely. Almost half (48%) say it's likely that terrorist attacks will be carried out close to election day in the U.S. (42% disagree) in an attempt to influence the elections here. Sixty-six percent say it is likely that more terrorists attacks will be carried out against major U.S. cities, buildings or national landmarks between now and the November election (26% very likely, 40% somewhat likely).

A majority (51%) says it's likely that other countries in the U.S.-led coalition will follow the new Spanish government's lead in withdrawing troops from Iraq (36% disagree). Forty-two percent say in trying to achieve its foreign policy goals, the Bush administration has done the right amount to involve major allies and international organizations; 36 percent say not enough and 14 percent say too much.

This poll is part of the March 29 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, March 22). For this Newsweek Poll, rinceton Survey Research Associates International interviewed 1,006 adults aged 18 and older on March 18-19, 2004.

The margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.
(Poll attached. Read Newsweek's news releases at http://www.Newsweek.MSNBC.com Click "Pressroom" at the bottom of the page.)


Newsweek Poll
Post-Madrid Bombings
Princeton Survey Research Associates International

2/3 of Pakistanis view Bin Laden favorably.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/8202331.htm

Good thing they don't vote in our elections.

Oh wait, they don't get to have elections.



B

...that's the only reason they're currently our 'allies'. Unleash the democratic beast, and Unkie Sam would be considered persona non grata. I suspect if the beast is ever released in Iraq, the results would be much the same.

That would be wonderful, to get invited to leave by a democratic arab government. That would be the greatest proof possible of succesfully growing democracy--independence.

Much as I feel contempt for Belgium, Germany, and France over the terrorism/Iraq backstabbing, I do respect and accept that their national will is being faithfully represented by their gov.

I would like nothing more than to have a hundred more "enemies" like France, Germany and Belgium created from the despots and totalitarians around the world. The world would be a delightful and safer place for everybody.

Botnst

....ooooookkkkey, I'll just leave it at that then.

Z, why is your resistor counter-revolutionary?

B

...that revolution revelation was more than I could bear.

Was it a counter-revolution of its own choice or did it have an outside source of resistance???

__________________
...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"

...once I realized my folly, I threw the full weight and force of my character into resisting its incessant contrarious revolutions. I just hope it's not too late...

Its like cake dough. Just spin the spoon backwards and everything unmixes.

I can't believe it took me so long to see that. Gee, that was great! I'd like to do it again, please.

Like when Vronsky zapped "Tank" about the direction his avatar was headed. I'd never heard of that direction thing implying surrender, but WTH, it was funny partly because we all bought it!

B