GTWT

Yes, the earth cools & it warms. This case is a bit different though - the cause of the warming isn't increased vulcanism or a meteor strike, it's human activity

Sorry Rick, that's not true: http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2013/06/26/obama-climate-plan-reiterates-support-for-nuclear-power_2c00_-smr-development-062601.aspx#.UgJF06wYP1w I hope you're right. Accessing more fossil fuel isn't the solution to green-house gas emissions. No true Republican would.... Rick, I'm glad you care about the world. You have children & I'm sure you want them to live in a healthy world with the resources needed to ensure their quality of life. Scientists want the same thing. Science isn't some vast conspiracy to drive up the price you pay for gasoline or to make you ride a bicycle to work. Scientists are trained to think about long-term consequences. The long-term consequence of our current energy policy is a degraded ecosystem. The sort-term consequence of complying with the policies the scientists suggest will be painful. It still beats the alternative.

New report from NOAA - http://news.msn.com/science-technology/noaa-report-card-we-still-live-in-a-warming-world On a related topic, Rush Limbaugh gives a young climate change denier a free ipad - http://now.msn.com/rush-limbaugh-gives-ipad-to-boy-who-discounts-global-warming?ocid=msnnws

Tommy Lee Jones. Yeah, I know but I still like him best.

True. The corollary is that just because you want something to be false doesn't mean that it is. There is no reason that conservatives have to be antiscience. You can believe in a balanced budget & still accept that the earth isn't flat. You can believe that government should be limited & still accept common descent by means of natural selection. You can believe that capitalism is the most effective economic system & still understand that the release of massive amounts of greenhouse gases will lead to global warming. You can admire Ronald Reagan & still accept reality. That's what the Republicans who wrote 'A Republican Case for Climate Action' are trying to tell you. Try to understand. It's important.

I'm sorry Rick, but that's just silly. The 'cooling world' hypothesis was suggested by very few climate scientists. Most scientists with expertise in relevant fields took a wait-and-see attitude - waiting for the data to become available that would test that hypothesis - it was rejected. That's the way science is supposed to work. The climate-change hypothesis similarly awaited the gathering of the data necessary to test it & the results of those tests have been clear - we can reject the null hypothesis - 'No change in global climate parameters' & we support the alternative hypothesis - the earth is warming. Our best explanation for this observed warming is the effects of green-house gases derived from releasing fossil carbon. You reject the advice of the Republican heads of the EPA because - horrors - they're part of the educated elite. You reject the 97% of climate scientists who agree with the statement "climate change is real & man's behavior is at least partially to blame". What is the alternative to science, Rick? Ideology?

Rick, Instead of attacking the messengers (yes, as you point out all four are educated), why not address the points made in the op-ed?

William Ruckelshaus, Lee M. Thomas, William K. Reilly, & Christine Todd Whitman were heads of the EPA under Presidents Nixon, Reagan, G. H. W. Bush, & G. W. Bush. They are not a bunch of tree hugging liberals. On August 1st they published a call for action on climate change in the New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/02/opinion/a-republican-case-for-climate-action.html?_r=0 "There is no longer any credible scientific debate about the basic facts: our world continues to warm...." "The costs of inaction are undeniable." "President Obama's June climate action plan lays out achievable actions that will deliver real progress." "Rather than argue against his proposals, our leaders in Congress should endorse them..." "Climate change puts all our progresses and successes at risk." "Mr. Obama's plan is just a start. More will be required. But we must continue efforsts to reduce the climate-altering pollutants that threaten our planet." "What is most clear is that there is no time to waste."

It means we're no longer in the God-forsaken SunBelt.

And yet conservatives insist on blaming President Obama for the deficit.

President Bush was a progressive? Who'd a thunk it...

UNTexas

Texas, love it or leave it? Rick, my family has been in Texas since it was a part of Mexico. We've paid our taxes and fought & died in her wars. We earned our right to be here regardless of our politics.

Dear Fake Lonnie, Do you really think "Greenies" do nothing on a personal level to reduce their carbon footprint? Even if they don't do enough (& most don't) do you think that absolves you from your responsibility to do the right thing? Dude, make a contribution that isn't just negative verbage. With all due respect, GT

Because we spend the money on the wrong things. First & foremost, we need to find a way to attract the best & brightest into the field of education. A few years ago I taught at a small private university where over 50% of our students seeking teaching certification came from the bottom 10% (in terms of HS GPA & ACT) of entering students. Our best students went into business, science, & other majors which led to a career that was more prestigious & which paid better. We have to change that. We have to pay teachers well enough that the career will attract more of our brightest students. Second, we have to train teachers better. It was a good idea to make prospective teachers major in the area they will teach, then minor in education. That wasn't popular among education professors for obvious reasons. Third we need to decide what is really important for students to learn & then focus on that. It's inexcusable that a kid can graduate from HS with marginal abilities in reading, writing, & math, and yet has a HS transcript containing fluff (defining fluff will be a land-mine). Finally, we need to avoid the fads that education is so prone to. Disclaimer: I am not expert in education & the verbage above reflects my opinion & nothing more.

I kind of like the western division. It ain't perfect but at least the only Sun Belt refugee is us.

The most common hit on Google on 'demise of representative democracy' is "Reaganism and the death of representative democracy." Somehow I don't think that's what you meant. So please, enlighten me - what did you mean?

Oh my God! You're wrong in so many ways. BUT funny. Thank you, I needed a laugh.

Rick Perry?

We the people?

SilverEagle, Thanks for sharing that. Beautiful.

Okay, UNT90 - you've lost me. What is the inevitable cause of the demise of representative democracy?

TFLF, Like it or not, you & your children are citizens of this country. As such you have a stake in her success - success which depends in large part on the education of our children - all our children. And no, the primary role of government is not just to promote business. The role of government is to promote the present & future well-being of the governed. That well-being includes education, medical care, a healthy environment, and so much more. All of that is expensive but not providing those things costs so much more.

There's an interesting essay by Geoffrey Parker in the most recent Chronicle of Higher Education on the history of climate changes & our response (or rather failure to respond). http://chronicle.com/article/The-Inevitable-Climate/139423/?cid=cr&utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en Man has an unfortunate propensity for choosing short-term profit over long-term good. It's our evolutionary heritage. Climate change will occur & it will be due in large part to human activities. We've passed the tipping point & there's nothing we can do to stop global warming & the other changes in our world. There are things we can do to mitigate the effects that are coming. First & foremost, we can recognize that burning fossil fuels will only make things worse. We must shift to nuclear energy, tidal energy, & solar energy. We must give up the silliness of living miles from where we work. We must realize that our houses are too large & our cars too fast. Most difficult of all - we must understand that there are too many of us on this damaged old planet. We must be more intelligent.

If you spend over 3,000 American lives to destroy weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, only to find there were no weapons of mass destruction — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If you allow loaded handguns to be carried in our college classrooms by folks with 10 hours of CHL training — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If you keep pumping oil, gas, & coal out of the ground when you know that it will only add to the C contributing to climate change — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots. If you build a fence to keep out the guy who builds your houses, cooks your food, & picks your oranges — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.