There's one Ramble story I have to weigh in on. The electoral college is the lesser of two evils. It's still evil, I admit. And I should point out that, as a northeastern liberal type, my interests would be better served by eliminating the electoral college and letting those midwestern and southern conservatives fend for themselves. But getting rid of it would ultimately be a really bad thing for the "United" in United States.

If the electoral college went away, then candidates could get elected by spending their time in only the most populous areas. With the exception of a few population centers in the midwest, Americans are mostly clumped around the edges of the nation. And sitting presidents looking to get re-elected or to pass the baton within their own party could pretty much ignore the sparsely populated bits in the middle.

Over the long haul, people living in the vast swath of flyover country would be left, in effect, without executive representation. It wouldn't be too many years before they'd want to leave the union, and who could blame them? That's the kind of thing that starts civil wars.

So, yes, having George Bush in the White House is a high prioe to pay. But the election of the candidate who lost the popular vote has only happened four times in our history. And I'm willing to take one for the team (and George W. Bush IS a huge one to take) if it means we can keep being one country. I don't agree with how the red states tend to vote, but I don't need them to be a totally separate nation, either.

Sent by Maura | 12:31 PM ET | 01-14-2008

We used cloth diapers for our first child until he was 14 months- and we used a cleaning service that had "environmentally friendly" practices (no chlorine, pumping wash water into sewage treatment (disposables send raw sewage to the landfills)). With that said, while the cloth diapers are recycled, there is an energy cost: hot water, washing machine. Further, working parents will find difficulties in convincing their daycare providers to use the diapers. (The reason very reason we switched disposable diapers.) Perusing the web, I identified centers in Seattle, WA that allow cloth diapers... certainly not in Fort Collins where we used to live.
Finally, either type of diaper will have some sort of environmental impact. It's important to note this fact. And... do people purchasing designer green cloth diapers actually wash them by hand? I think they likely hire a service.

Sent by Anna | 12:34 PM ET | 01-14-2008

As a follow-up, I have a political cartoon that nicely encapsulates the problem with basing the election purely on the popular vote. Unfortunately, I can't make out the signature or copyright information because of the resolution. I'd give credit if I could!

Sent by Maura | 12:59 PM ET | 01-15-2008