The 40% is, as others have mentioned, most definately an overestimation. In polls about religion, most people are afraid to state that they aren't believers. 90% of people in the US claim to be religious and yet church attendance is falling off year after year. The megachurches have huge turnovers of members and are mostly just draining other local churches. Chruches are having trouble finding priests, probably another reason for the consolidation into megachurches.

Even so, the number of people that state outright that they are athiests increases every year. Same with agnostics and pagans. Why are the Right Wing Christians braying so loud? They can see they're losing. Same with fundimentalists of every stripe. Hell conservative politicians are in the same boat. They've been losing for hundreds of years, that's why they love lying so much. They have no other way to pretend they're winning in the long run.

Actually, yes. It is "so cool to be able to afford to redo your entire house with alternative energy". He's also reducing consumption, as I said. You just probably missed that part, just like you missed that he's changing his house to alternative energy.

You see, in a capitalist system, this is how it works. Early adopters pay high prices and that allows the technology to be improved and have the prices come down so more people can afford it and so on. It is a virtuous cycle. Having a "rich guy" around that can afford to make these investments and be a guinea pig is vitally important.

As for Ethanol, it'll be useful along with many other energy sources. We'll likely end up using sources that are better for it than corn, but these are still the very early days of biofuels and corn-based ethanol has a 30 year legacy that other crops must overcome.

Personally, I'm reducing energy use and will be investing in alternate energy sources as well. What're you doing? Other than trying to cut down people who are trying to use their celebrity to call attention and set an example?

So unless he moves to a smaller house, everything else is so much bunkum? Buying wind power, solar power, etc is nothing? Ensuring your appliances are the lowest power-use devices isn't reducing your consumption?

If he converts all the energy use in his house to solar and not an erg of energy is created through fossil fuels, how is that "not doing much, really"?

I will sleep easier tonight knowing that Al Gore is sacrificing himself and being a guineapig so that the world might have a rosier energy future.

Good, I'm glad I could help educate you. You might not like it, but his spending more cash is part of what'll get us to the goals you profess to desire. Or did you just want to wave your magic wand and have everything in place tomorrow? Get waving!

Why the focus on how big his house is?

Sounds like jealousy really.

Why my question on what you're doing? 'cause your posts are extra-snarky about people who are doing something. As though no matter what they do it won't be enough.

Anonymous:who says she can't i.d. the detective agency she worked for

During the two-year stretch of my employment at the firm (which chooses to remain nameless)

Reading is Fundamental

Hell, I'd even take another 4 years of bush

Yeah! 'cause if you can't have perfection, why not take the worst! Better isn't good enough, lets pick something that'll at least let us complain another 4 years! Heck, if we can't find the perfect Democrat, another FDR, lets elect Cheney!

Divebrakes--

The argument in this article seems to be that most of us should stay out of the sky

It isn't about fewer people flying, it is about the same number of people flying on fewer flights. It is about having a little less flexibility of when you leave for the joy of arriving on time more often.

Vaporland--

The reason JFK and LGA aren't in the top 10 busiest are because they split the traffic for the region between them and Newark takes a large share of it as well. Though the region is likely as busy or busier than O'Hare, it is split between 3 airports (more if you include smaller airports like Teterborough) instead of all going into 1.

Despite the bluster and bother of Pelosi and her allies on the left, they could not defeat Bush on Iraq funding. The issue is not the president's poll numbers, but his ability to control the national agenda

No, they could not defeat Bush on Iraq funding because they don't have a veto-proof majority and the Republican'ts in Congress are too scared of their 20% base to challenge the White House.

Almost from the beginning of the budget fight in 1995, Clinton's poll numbers edged up and those of Gingrich dipped as the public perceived the President as the one trying to resolve the problem and Republicans as inflexible.

Bush's numbers haven't gone up. At all. If anything they're sliding further as Americans see that Bush is just as inflexible as the Gingrinchites.

Next time post something about the aliens controlling Bush's thoughts, you'll have a better shot at cogent analysis.

Hey - why ya reading this? Don't you need to call the cops on your neighbors? You don't like them, they're up to something, and they deserve a beat down.

This is what Conservatives do. The only freedom they want people to have is the one to bear arms. Other than that they want to monitor your bedroom, your library, your child-rearing, your church etc...

So proud of voting for Bush. Claims he was right to vote against Kerry. 'cause things have gone so well since. When there are so many so stupid that they believe the big-money propaganda, yes Tyler, you "win". But just think (if you can) for a moment, what did you win? You're "winning" yourself into a smaller and smaller cage in a more and more damaged nation.

Congratulations.