Minivan or SUV that is the question

We are expecting a second child in August and now are thinking we need to upgrade to a bigger car. My jetta is packed with one child and a stroller - two children and a double stroller are not going to happen. I have to say I am much more inclined by nature to shop for a minivan. I cannot bring myself to even think about owning an SUV. However, Ford is introducing a hybrid Escape this summer an SUV that gets 40 mpg. That is better than my Jetta, which hasn't been bad at 35. Also apparently Toyota has a hybrid minivan they released in Japan in 2001. If I could guarentee that would be here soon I might hold off on the inevitable purchase of a new care. The Escape holds a certain appeal. The MSRP is around $26,000. That is not much more than most new cars these days and I would be doing my part to end american dependence on foreign oil.... there might even be a tax credit..
I will post again when we have decided what to do.

Bill Frist and the Judiciary

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=703&e=1&u=/ap/20050426/ap_on_go_co/filibuster_fight&sid=84439559

Is anyone else worried about the Republican majority leader's plan to change the Senater rules to prevent the minority from filibustering?

Can't we get some moderate politicians in office? A nice fiscal conservative who might lean a little liberal? It seems more and more today the minorities in either party are running the show. I know we moderates outnumber them. So why is it they dominate the political mart? I am forever frustrated with the lack of good moderate-centerist-reasonable candidates.

Supreme Court and Technology a Match Made in Heaven

http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/29/technology/scotus_filesharing/index.htm?cnn=yes

The Supreme Court heard arguments in the Grokster case. If you haven't read the Sony Betamax timeshifting case and are interested in the file sharing case currently being heard I'd highly recommend reading it. http://www.virtualrecordings.com/betamax.htm
The court actually came out with a highly controversial decision at the time that SONY could not be held liable for individuals using their Betamax machines to record copyrighted material from the television. Did this decision really hurt Video Sales? I think not... I essentially agree with the Grokster side of the case. They are arguing that the industry should embrace the new technology and work with the P2P networks to market their products and profit from the technology. I think sites like Napster (the new napster) and Apple Music and the popularity of the pay to download services show that people are willing to pay for the priviledge and that where legal dowload services are available people will use them.

That was my argument for using Napster for the longest time. I said if the industry would meet the demand and allow me to download MP3s I would gladly do it. Once they did of course I stopped using the P2P networks and started shopping at itunes, napster and Walmart.com. I even bought some Roxio stock to solidify my commitment.

Let's face it the technology is hear to stay, why not use it to make money instead of fighting it...

Perhaps the industry will have to go back in time to the fifties where everything was driven by singles and not LPs.... Would that be so bad...