Let me say this: I don’t actually do any of that stuff. I’m not a man-hog in real life. But it’s within my rights as an American citizen to be one, if I choose.

Just as it’s within Al Gore’s rights to consume enough electricity to power 232 U.S. homes for a month.

Are you proposing that we limit consumption in certain areas through rationing or taxation? If so, which areas? Food? Water? Energy?

All of this moves us ever closer to a centrally planned society where growth, innovation, free markets, and individual rights are stifled.

As long as I don’t break any laws or harm other people, I am free to do as I please.

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You see, this is what eludes you, Judd.
We live on a finite planet with finite resources. So your willful squandering, and disregard for the environment DOES harm other people.

Most of all, future generations.

When did being a selfish, frittering pig become the “American Ideal” anyway?

really? really Chris M? i get the feeling walking through life that A LOT - hell, the MAJORITY - of people like being told what to do, how to live their lives, what to buy, what to wear, what to think, what to like.

most people like being told what to do because they have trouble thinking for themselves, are afraid of what people may think if they choose their own way, or don’t like to argue with others or appear disagreeable.

Chris M, the facts on the ground don’t support your statement. i wish i could agree with you that the world is full of individual, rational, intelligent thinkers living in the pursuit of their own happiness and the greater good of society. but that just isn’t the case.

My instinct is that they fall under either “liberty” or “pursuit of happiness.”

If food, water, clothing, and shelter were considered “rights,” then the government would have to provide them to those who couldn’t provide it for themselves.

Then again, we do have food stamps, public drinking fountains, tax deductions for Goodwill, and homeless shelters.

What do you think?

Was that coordinated?

Nevermind that you appear to confuse the Declaration of Independence with the Constitution. “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is from the Declaration of Independence. I’ll go with it.

Food, water, clothing, and shelter would fall more under “life”. Consumption falls under liberty. Going back to the Constitution, the Preamble also addresses “securing the Blessings of Liberty”.

Further, if you had read my post in its entirety, you would have noted that I was not arguing against a state’s right to set the speed limits on its highways. Rather, I was criticizing the rationale behind Granholm’s suggested change. 1974 is a case in my point: these speed limits are exceedingly difficult to enforce without penalties far disproportionate to the offense. Speed limits should be set according to the maximum speed at which a passenger motor vehicle can operate safely in ideal driving conditions – i.e. dry, straight, even pavement.

Going 65 mph in a Honda Civic is not an all-I-can-eat gorge-fest on the world’s resources. We do not live in Soviet Russia. The state does not give me gasoline. I pay for it myself out of what’s left of my paycheck after all the taxes I pay. As such, I decide how much money to spend on gasoline and how often. This is the liberty that the Framers of the Constitution intended — that I decide how to dispose of my own property, provided that my actions do not pose or create a clear and present danger to others without their consent.

Who are you to tell others what falls under “pursuit of happiness”?

If I want to eat 15 dinners per night, throw away 15 more for no good reason, waste gasoline by revving my engine in the parking lot for an entire week, watch disgusting porno videos, smoke 100 cigarettes in 10 minutes, or just sit around marveling at my selfishness and egotism … how is any of this your business?

As long as I don’t break any laws or harm other people, I am free to do as I please.

Could you elaborate on that -

Food, water, clothing, shelter - sure, that falls under pursuit of happiness.

Bellying up to the world’s limited resources like an all-u-can eat buffet and gorging yourself because you got there early, and leaving nothing for the people at the other end of the line - where is selfish egotism in the constitution, exactly?

You criticize the Fed Gov’t for overriding the state’s rights to set their own speed limits, then you criticize a state governor for looking to do just that.

Let’s be honest here, you simply don’t like to drive slow, and you don’t like anyone telling you what to do.

I’ve got news for you, NOBODY likes being told what to do. What makes you so special?

I prefer “Bitchin’ Camaro” by the Dead Milkmen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rvri_da8_E