What's the Best Place To Live In Montana? (sales, lawyers)

[idahomama]

Originally Posted by G&G

Yes, those things happen here in MN also. We call these groups "limosene liberals"...you know, those that do not have to worry about making a living and have nothing else to do but worry about if johnny has his helmet on when he's riding his bike, or the fact that they find the christmas tree at the capitol a form of discrimination. Those of us who have to actually work do not have the time it takes to fight for our ideas sometimes,

One thing I might like to point out is that tolerance and acceptance are two way steets. Extreme views in either direction can be dangerous. Your job or my lack of one, should be no excuse for whether or not we are involved in what is happening in our world today. To point fingers and take no action make you as "bad" as those you point fingers at. Don't make excuses for your lack of action.

I will continue to make sure our kids wear bike helmets in hopes of keeping their brains intact so that one day perhaps they will grow and be a part of the solution.

[oregonready4change]

Originally Posted by idahomama

One thing I might like to point out is that tolerance and acceptance are two way steets. Extreme views in either direction can be dangerous. Your job or my lack of one, should be no excuse for whether or not we are involved in what is happening in our world today. To point fingers and take no action make you as "bad" as those you point fingers at. Don't make excuses for your lack of action.

I will continue to make sure our kids wear bike helmets in hopes of keeping their brains intact so that one day perhaps they will grow and be a part of the solution.

I really don't think he is opposed to helmets on kids, but that it is a LAW. What is wrong with America, is that it is becoming a country where people cannot think for themselves, the government is doing it for them. Even if there wasn't a law for helmets, I would make sure my daughter had one for protection. I am tired of the government dictating everything. Parents need to be responsible for their children and have their welfare and safety in mind at all times. Sadly, there are parents who don't do this and no matter what laws are passed, they still won't. We have young children riding their bikes/scooters ALL the time without helmets on - the parents don't care. One even had a head injury falling off his bike, ambulance came and I thought for sure he would be seen with a helmet on from then on. Nope, of course not. My point is, even if there are laws, the only ones to follow them are those who would have done so without them in the first place (usually).

[MontanaGuy]

Let me just put in my two cents worth about global warming. First of all the earth is always changing but the changes are usually so slow that they're not noticible in a human lifetime. We can lay out a record of the earth's warming and cooling trends that go back millions of years. There have been periods when it's been much warmer and much wetter than it is today. We have fossils of tropical plants in the Pacific Northwest that could never grow there today. Ice core samples from the polar regions also give some very accurate information about climate change. It all comes down to this fact, the earth does go through climatic shifts that are not the result of human activity. The earth is slightly tilted on its axis and this angle of the shift varies over thousands of years. This seems to coincide with ice ages and other climatic changes. However, human activity is a new factor that's never happened in the history of the planet and we really don't know the full ramifications. We know we're putting tons of greenhouses gases into the atmosphere and one would think it would have to have some effect. The great majority of scientists now believe that human activity is accelerating the natural warming cycle and it really is quite possible that the consequences could be very serious. It seems reasonable to me that we should be doing whatever we can to make sure that human activity has the least amount of impact on the climate as we possibly can.

[lesliegrace]

Native Montanan,

I don't really consider Al Gore to be a dim bulb as you apparently do. (We won't mention what I think about our current Prez because I don't believe this is supposed to be a political forum!) I think that we are depleting the ozone layer through car emissions, toxic chemical plant and oil refinery emissions, and various other types of air pollution. Ice is melting at both poles at an alarming rate; if that much ice is melting, the earth must be warming!

All of this pollution not only causes ice to melt; it also makes people sick. In the part of Texas where I live, there are lots of chemical plants and oil refineries. According to a 2003 Texas Monthly article that I read, the lung cancer rate is about fifty percent higher than the national average in this area. In the county where I live (Orange County), the brain cancer rate has risen dramatically in the last twenty years or so.

We should all be writing to our representatives asking them to support clean power solutions like solar and wind power as well as public transportation. In Texas just recently, the legislature was having a big debate about fast tracking the construction of a bunch of coal burning power plants! In Texas, we don't appear to be too concerned about clean energy!

I live in a rainy, humid part of Texas (about 58 inches of rain per year on average). We don't generally have problems with fires burning out of control here. We are more likely to get hit by a hurricane, as happened with Hurricane Rita in 2005. Some people attribute those monster hurricanes of 2005 to global warming; I don't know whether they know what they are talking about or not. But I can tell you that evacuating is no picnic.

I believe if you all think the forests are being mismanaged in your home state, you should write to, e-mail, or call your state legislators to remedy the problems. If you back up your concerns with scientific proof, maybe you can get some changes implemented.

[idahomama]

Originally Posted by oregonready4change

I really don't think he is opposed to helmets on kids, but that it is a LAW. .

Actually G and G was just knocking people with with more money and making excuses for not being actively involved.

[G&G]

Idahomama- Ithink you missed the point, I never said I WASN"T involved!! And how do YOU know how much money I have??? Oregon hit the nail on the head...common sense doesn't always have to be made into a law, stop trying to tell ME how to live!

[idahomama]

Your point perhaps would have been easier to digest if it hadn't included stereotypical bashing. I am sorry, I am off topic.

[G&G]

IDAHOMAMA-I am simply stating a fact, I have a business and do not have time to stand around all day picketing against...lets say, the christmas tree at the state capitol, I have a business to run, These people that picket for their cause day in and day out make me wonder how they have time to work .also....chain yourself to a tree for months on end....how is that person paying their way????? Leads me to believe they are either independently wealthy ( limosene rich and maybe a liberal?)or living on assistance. Just MY VIEW, THAT'S ALL.

[idahomama]

In getting back to talking about healthy forest management, I doubt you will have your "limousine liberals" chaining themsleves to trees to prevent tree thinning. The reason trees haven't been thinned...... very easy answer...... MONEY. I'm certainly not suggesting our government needs more money, but perhaps more importance should be placed on our forests. Our governemnt is much more focused on placing monies elsewhere. Wait! That would make you an environmentalist! My whole point is labeling, finger pointing and whining do absolutely nothing.

[G&G]

idahomama...oh please...Maybe the gov't would have more money to spend on the forests if there weren't so many frivolous lawsuits! I agree with you on ONE point...more importance on the forests. Geee...I hope I wasn't whining