January 25, 2003

Nancy Pelosi, Matricula Consular cards, and the cost of wine

Here's an interesting/"interesting" article about Nancy Pelosi.

Summary: She owns 32.6 acres of land in the Napa valley, of which a total of 9 acres is wine-producing. For 2001, she declared a total income of between $200,002 and $2 million for those holdings. Are those figures in line for what other growers receive, or are there shenanigans involved? The article hints that this might explain why she's apparently fond of illegal immigration.

This issue desperately needs a more journalistic approach, because the article reads like it's one step up from random conspiracy theorizing. For instance, rather than relying on an unnamed source, are there published figures available showing how much similar grapes fetch?

The 'Grapes and Vineyards' section of this article has more information on the cost of wine grapes, as does this.

Parenthetically, on your way to Napa county to verify this info, consider a hike up Mount St Helena (not to be confused with Mt. St. Helens in WA). As the author states, it's a boring fire road hike, but the views are real good. It wasn't as clear for me as it was for him when I did this. Next time I go, I'll bring my MTB with me. I climbed down into the caldera a bit, but you shouldn't because it ends in a long drop-off. I know there's sport climbing in the area, I wonder if anyone's tried to rappel or climb up the caldera.

Posted to Politics at January 25, 2003 03:58 PM

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