A few years back, the dept of commerce looked at the relative quality of items purchased at Sprawl-Wart and concluded that the actual value of the purchases was just as low as, or lower than, the price. So, no matter the brand name, Wal-Mart sells cheaply made crap.

Also, let's not forget that Wally is responsible for a significant portion of our trade imbalance and that for every two jobs created at a Sprawl-Wart there are three higher paying jobs lost in the community.

This all fits rather nicely with some longstanding models that contend humanity's adoption of agriculture is responsible for keeping us out of a severe cooling trend.

Unfortunately, in the near-term this is mostly a distraction from the important business of radically altering our relationship with GHG emissions. We have something like fifteen years to ween ourselves from the fossil-fool teat or risk condemning our children and grandchildren to a true hell on what's left of Earth.

I'd love to see some bipartisanship: between the Democrats and the American people. Americans consistently tell pollsters that they are much more liberal than Congress and it is high time Congress started throwing us a few crumbs.

Also, while drug rehab may help some criminals lead productive lives, I don't think Stevens' addiction to graft can be rehabbed. Toss him in the klink.

The King's system makes as much sense as the current BCS. Hopefully the AP voters will split the National Championship (like they did for USC a few years ago) and name The Green Wave as co-Champions.

You are correct. Paved roads are a breeze to bike on. However, the roads I use are unpaved, not paved. Have you been to the Siuslaw? There are no flat sections of more than a few miles. I guess I do the impossible by hauling gear on a bike on class 4 and 5 roads. Several times during the winter months (we get very little snow, but it can rain like a river) these roads are undrivable, but still bikable. By the way, although I am temporarily stuck in a suburban small city, I have generally grown the bulk of my family's food and even hauled excess into town (by bike, of course).

Again, it is so sad how physically soft our culture has become. What were once luxuries are now considered indispensable.

I must admit, I have never tried to take 500 pounds down Forest Service roads. I have, however, taken 300 pounds through the Siuslaw National Forest in the Coast Range of Oregon BY BIKE. I guess to take the full 500 pounds I would either have to get a partner or take two trips.

It just amazes me how weak our culture has gotten. IMHO we really should stop driving ourselves to extinction; it is so unnecessary.

I never know whether to laugh or cry when people who use planet-killing steel wheelchairs claim to be environmentalists. Face it Mark, it doesn't matter if you use a bike on occasion; if you drive enough to consider buying a fossil-fool powered wheelchair, you are most certainly NOT an environmentalist.

GG is nominated for best liberal blog (2008 Weblog awards) and you can only find one post of his to mention? Read his work when you get a chance; it is well worth the time.

Don't mistake Obama for what he is not. (Remember his statement when he flip-flopped on telecom immunity). He has stated that he is opposed to a gas tax increase, even though people were obviously willing to pay $4.25/gal and the price is currently under $2.00/gal. A dollar per gallon would go a long ways towards building some long overdue mass transit and bike paths. That would be bold action.

Or, how about a lesson from WWII. During the '40s we rationed gasoline, sugar, flour and rubber. How about a rationing of grid power and liquid fuel. That would be a bold action to address both climate change and the economic disparities that have occurred as a result of decades of tax cuts for the wealthy.

Our continued presence on the planet requires massive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, perhaps as much as 90% over the next fifteen years! And while China now produces more GHG than we do, most of what they produce is for export to more developed countries, like us. If we take full responsibility for the GHG produced for our consumption or financed by our corporations, we are probably responsible for more than half of the entire planet's emissions.

Obama will obviously be an improvement on Bush, but he needs to be much more than that. I really hope he can find the courage to transcend American politics and unite us to create a sustainable future before it is too late.

How interesting that the anecdotal patient is a child with asthma. One of the major causes of our skyrocketing childhood asthma rates is exposure to environmental toxins. These toxins are largely produced by industrial and consumer activities (Look towards the delta from Pleasant Hill and you will find refineries; look towards Mt. Diablo and you will see particulates and photochemical smog), both of which decrease during a deep recession. This child's health problems may be directly related to both the dot.com boom and the following housing booms that lead to massively increased levels of air pollution in her local environment.

While the denizens of the South would probably not understand, it would be nice if Obama explained the pressing need for a gas tax and used some of his political capital to get it implemented. He was noteworthy for talking to the public as though we are intelligent adults during the campaign, why not continue? The tax could start at something like $0.25/gal and expand from there. I really think people would go for it if the money was earmarked for building mass transit and ped/bike infrastructure to help reduce our (mostly psychological) reliance on two-ton wheelchairs. Our current crises (financial, employment, environmental) will not be resolved through cowardice or Clintonian triangulation.