i used to be all about tables. i still use them when it is necessary for a few of the reasons stated above. i think if you're a designer, and are doing some wild layouts that really attempt to defy browser positioning, tables are the way to go.
me.... i moved into programming more or less several years ago - i could never really cut it as a designer. and thats where the CSS power comes in handy. cause it was a BITCH trying to do shit like for/while loops amongst an ocean of td /td /tr tr td....
so i dunno... maybe thats where the divide is. i always thought CSS was "design for coders". kinda like how they added OOP into Flash...
edit: and just to twist the knife.... i've yet to run into anything i had to do with tables that i couldnt with CSS
