Teen angst may have been the elusive "cause" in the 50's, but now that the impeachment drama is pretty much over, other issues are occupying the minds of those with too much time on their hands.

Just recently, the Beverly Hills, California city council voted to put an initiative on the ballot that would require a warning label to be placed on all fur coats sold in that city. The label would explain how the animals were killed, whether by clubbing, electrocution, gassing, or whatever. Naturally, the fur manufacturers maintain that the animals are terminated using the most humane means possible.

More to the point, though, why pick on furs? Millions of animals are killed for food, of course, and most people wear leather shoes and belts. And, even if a label were applied, would that really deter the prospective buyer from purchasing a fur?

But, this is the world of animal rights, and logic need not apply. What's most important is that these folks CARE, and they feel the pain of the poor furry victims. That in most cases, this empathy would not apply to the victim of a partial birth abortion is another issue altogether.

Next on today's list of causes is the "anti-sprawl" movement. Here's what Al Gore has to say:

"Acre upon acre of asphalt have transformed what were once mountain clearings and congenial villages into little more than massive parking lots. The ill-thought-out sprawl hastily developed around our nation's cities has turned what used to be friendly, easy suburbs into lonely cul-de-sacs, so distant from the city center that if a family wants to buy an affordable house they have to drive so far that a parent gets home too late to read a bedtime story."

Gore does not offer an explanation as to how the friendly, easy suburbs turned into lonely cul-de-sacs. Perhaps it was a right-wing conspiracy.

He goes on:

"We've built flat, not tall." This becomes the working definition of "sprawl."

Wow!! All we have to do to save the environment is to jam everyone into crowded urban housing. "Sharing walls share and saves heat," says the Sierra Club. "The single family house uses nearly six times as much metal and concrete, the mining of which threatens many of our natural areas."

Maybe the fur-labeling individuals are harmless crackpots. But is the anti-sprawl movement completely altruistic? If it were, would I be writing about it?

For Gore and his ilk, crowding is good because density means more traffic, plus no new road construction. Given enough pain, people will abandon their cars. That's certainly true in Manhattan, and seems to be their model for the future.

"As traffic congestion builds, alternative travel modes will become more attractive." So said The Twin Cities Metropolitan Council in justifying a decision not to build any more roads for the next 20 years!

So. It comes down to money. What a big surprise. Just don't look for them to lower taxes based on what they've saved. Another cause is bound to come along.