Posted on June 23 at 2:39 p.m.

Lowering the speed limit will get an immediate 10% savings in gas usage (and lower traffic fatalities), but the real key is creating and subsidizing mass transit and getting us idiots out of our SOVs

On Capps Blasts McCain and Bush

Posted on June 19 at 3:27 p.m.

Thanks for setting the record straight. Another Republican talking point falls to the facts. You hear a lot about how liberals and conservatives differ, but the primary difference is that liberal (and progressive) positions are supported by facts, and, more importantly, morals that are inclusive of their fellow humans. It would be preposterous for any liberal to seek to deny proper care for a fellow human being regardless of their condition. Even Rush Limbaugh deserves proper treatment for his many problems, both mental and physical.

On Indeed Reagan’s Children

Posted on June 18 at 12:51 p.m.

OK, I commend the effort, but "beautifies the home without harming the earth" is pure snake oil and hopefully a line invented by the reporter and not Ms Scott. Everything we humans do affects, and for the most part harms, the earth, and certainly remodeling falls squarely into the category of harm regardless of how "green" the products used are. This is not to say that moving towards more environmentally friendly practices is without merit, but let's be careful about our choices and not greenwash everything to further justify rampant consumption. Perhaps leaving an existing home as is is often truly the most environmentally friendly choice, no?

On Green — Inside and Out

Posted on May 23 at 10:06 a.m.

I agree that the proliferation of pets is a problem. Mandatory sterilization of "mongrels" will lead to the further deterioration of the "pure" breeds into hopelessly inbred high maintenance nightmares. Education of the pet owner is what should be mandatory, but probably won't happen because it will require the perennially underfunded public sector to make it happen.

On Sterilize the Purebreds

Posted on May 22 at 5:03 p.m.

Scorphitman hits all the points one would expect from people who are incapable of critical thinking. Is the sexual behavior of homosexuals really any more "deviant" than that of heterosexuals? No. Is homosexuality really confined to 1-2% of the population? No. Is this rule by the mob? Of course not. We are a democratic republic, which means that the rights of the minority are respected as long as they do not infringe on the rights of the majority. This is clearly the case, as there is nary a shred of evidence to support the notion that the institution of marriage is only viable between a male and a female.

I am glad to be a Californicator in this case, and encouraged that at long last this prejudice may be coming to a legal end. Unfortunately, It will take longer for people like Scoprhitman to actually examine their beliefs and come to grips with this reality, just as it took many years for us all to accept the legality of interracial marriage.

On The Indy’s Gay Columnist Chimes In on Thursday’s Marriage Ruling

Posted on May 21 at 12:27 p.m.

Does Japan actually get by without illegal labor? A cursory search on the net yielded the following link
http://www.cs.uoregon.edu/research/parac...
I suspect that all developed countries are guilty of this sin...

On Guest Worker Farce

Posted on May 19 at 8:46 p.m.

It should be pointed out that SS was always intended as a safety net, never to be someone's sole source of retirement income. The (f)right wing wants to instill as much fear, uncertainty, and doubt around this topic as possible in order to push SS, one of our most successful public programs ever, into the private sector. Keep up the good work!

On Counting on Social Security?

Posted on May 8 at 8:39 a.m.

Thanks for adding a voice of knowledge to what appears to be an unnecessarily brutal practice. Not only is the slaughter of the injured animals reprehensible, but the inordinate amount of time, energy, and money spent on rehabilitating animals that should not be injured in the first place is equally senseless. If everyone had to play by the same rules then there should be no downside increasing the horses' chances for injury-free racing.

On Not So Belle

Posted on April 2 at 12:17 a.m.

I don't believe the comment about the laws was meant it should be legal for 12-year-olds (that would be up to the parents). But certainly, as LasBrisas pointed out, the so-called "war on drugs" is an abject failure. Many countries have decriminalized pot with little or no deleterious effect on the overall well-being of their society. When will the US grow up (instead of grow op)?

On Detectives Find Sophisticated Goleta Grow

Posted on March 16 at 3:53 p.m.

The last sentence of your story implies that UU's necessarily believe in God, or god, or a goddess, or whatever. This is not the case. In fact, I have at least two UU friends (I am a member of the Santa Barbara congregation) who are atheists. I think the biggest draw of the UU philosophy is that it can include people with any credo in a welcoming place.

On Santa Barbara Unitarians