DrewEckhardt

Like China (second place spender at $140B), the UK ($63B, second place NATO country), or Canada ($25B, a first world country with similar labor costs and the same landmass + borders to defend).

Airshows are a way of brainwashing the American public into believing it is their patriotic duty to unnecessarily convert trillions of tax dollars into defense contractor profits. I'm sick of having a giant make-work program funneling tax dollars to private companies. If that's not the true purpose of the US armed forces I'm tired of supporting a military that's so grossly incompetent that they need 5X the budget of the number 2 country, 10X the second place NATO country, and over 30X the first world country with the same land mass and border length. Pick one.

No. Some countries and dropzones don't allow fully elliptical canopies for less experienced jumpers. Brian Germain's position is forbidden with fewer than 300 jumps and they count as a size smaller. The Stiletto is the most responsive canopy PD ever built. PD made all of the following canopies (Velocity, Katana) less sensitive to toggle input because John LeBlanc observed jumpers having problems with roll axis stability when landing their Stilettos. Small control inputs will quickly put the canopy into a steep dive that is not recoverable at low altitudes whether or not that's what you intend. Here's a Stiletto 150 fatality with just a 1.2 wing loading and 480 jumps: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3709212 The control sensitivity (especially with the brakes stowed) also makes the Stiletto more likely to spin up if you don't stay level during opening and deal with any problems immediately. A less aggressive non-square planform is a better idea. In no particular order that'd be Sabre 2, Safire 2, Pilot, Lotus, or Spectre. Flight characteristics and how the controls feel (deflection, weight) varies with different people preferring one over another.

You don't have to pay "big bucks." State schools where you live at home with your parents (~ $10K/year tuition) and don't have much fun still offer engineering degrees. It's also still possible to transfer credits in from community colleges ($3K/year) or advanced placement highschool courses (that counted for my freshman year) for much less money ($89/test, with many counting for two 3 hour classes).

I thought main closing loops lasted pretty much forever until my rigger moved and after replacing a couple of frayed loops I realized that he'd been changing them out at no charge.

Can any of the left wing libertards tell me when we had a constitutional convention which decided to replace the "shall not be infringed" part of the second amendment? You can't. I'm not ignoring it. I'm so happy that I'll probably donate some money to Republicans in other states that will be facing winnable election contests in 2014; perhaps directly, perhaps indirectly via the NRA Political Victory Fund. If Democrats would respect the Constitution we wouldn't need to rely on such things (Republicans are just as bad; although right now I detest them less because they're not trying to interfere with my hobbies). Although they won't do any good I'm not opposed to background checks per-se. Come back with a bill that's only about background checks and not increased profits for the National Alliance of Stocking Gun Dealers (the guys behind the GCA '68 mail order ban) and you'll get less objection. That would mean private citizens making their own web inquiries before each sale and either keeping the paper on file (like a form 4473) for a period of years like their tax returns or opting for an escrowed electronic copy instead of paying some one else a lot to do that. Don't include a provision making it illegal to swap guns (temporarily) with friends when shooting on government land (trap, steel plates, whatever) but not hunting or trapping. As long as "background check" bills require all sales to go through a licensed dealer I'll object strenuously (as in help pay lobbyists to lean on congress people, not just complain on-line). Especially when those dealers are not required to perform transfers (used guns from private parties don't get the same markup as consignment sales, and used guns of all sorts cut into new gun sales) and there's no limit for the fee they'll charge. One dealer tried to hold an inter-state transfer of mine hostage until I coughed up 10% of the invoice price. Here in California where we already require all transfers to go through dealers they often illegally (state law requires them to participate and charge no more than $10 on top of the Dealer Record Of Sale fees) refuse to participate in private transfers because they don't like the competition from used guns. Some dealers refuse without becoming criminals by dragging their feet long enough (over an hour) that customers are likely to go elsewhere. Some are on the wrong side of the duck hunting / sport utility schism and refuse to perform legal transfers of guns they don't like. Sometimes this happens 2-3 times in a row. Some just charge $75 (more than a lot of WW2 rifles were worth the last time I checked which would be doubling the price) per transfer on top of the state fees. Come back with a bill that's just about background checks and maybe consider COMPROMISE instead of insisting on gun owners' gradual surrender. I'd support a background check bill which also included national firearms pre-emption of more onerous local laws and/or interstate transfers with no licensed dealers involved as long as people passed their instant check. Lots more other gun owners would.

Engineers, doctors, and lawyers are over-represented compared to the fraction of the general population they compose but only constitute a minority within the skydiving community. It's about priorities. Rent your own one-bedroom apartment ($600/month) or a room in a house ($300/month) and make 15 jumps. Get a car with a loan ($200/month) or drive one that's paid off and older than you and make 10 jumps. Go out drinking at bars a couple nights a week or make several jumps each weekend. Get a new container and reserve for $2000 or an old airworthy combination for $800 and make 60 jumps. Get a new canopy in your colors for $1500 or a lightly used one for $600 and make 45 jumps. Buy a $300 brand name jump suit or have a local rigger make one for $150 and make 8 jumps (that actually worked out better - he sewed in an accent stripe instead of doing it as an applique so the suit had no seam on the shoulders where your rig sits). Obviously these numbers are a bit dated, but the principles still apply.

First of all, you should ask your instructors. Don't start with your instructors. The bar to being a skydiving instructor is VERY low. Plenty have bad judgement. I knew four who killed themselves with bad canopy piloting and lost count of the ones who broke bones. Some just don't know enough and have been lucky to get away with it for thousands of jumps. A long final approach straight into the wind landing in a wide open grassy field is absurdly easy. It doesn't get difficult until you have to correct problems like making a low 90 degree turn to avoid power lines for a down-wind landing on an asphalt road on the sunset load after cute chicks flashed the pilot for extra altitude, some one in the group got hypoxic and caught their foot on a seatbelt for a long climb out and long spot, and with the low light the power lines went unnoticed until the last second. When the jumper in question hasn't been making lots of out landings with low turns to avoid obstacles his instructors haven't seen enough to know how he'll perform and can't recommend he jump a smaller canopy than experts believe to be prudent. When he's been doing that regularly it shows bad judgement and he shouldn't be down-sizing faster either. Expert advise here is Brian Germain's (xx,xxx skydives, designs parachutes, teaches canopy flight professionally around the world, studied psychology in school and writes about sports psych, etc.) 1.0 + .1 (about; there are adjustments for higher elevations) pound per square foot per 100 jumps Wingloading Never Exceed formula to provide time to learn skills, develop muscle memory, and have an acceptable psychological arousal level when dealing with problems. You also need to be comfortable with all of the survival skills before each down-size (land down-wind, cross-wind, with 180 degree flat turns from 100 feet, with post-planeout carving turns, with induced speed, arrest a dive, etc.) Brian has a list in his document and Bill von Novak has another. You should only be following your instructors advice when they think you should be more conservative than that standard, like when your nickname is 34B for landing on that hanger (not your bra size) or you seem to have problems flaring all the way. 190 pounds + 30 pounds of gear = 220 and a fine first canopy size (my 105/143 main/reserve rig is 19 pounds and 245/253 accuracy setup 30. The original poster's first rig will be closer to the heavy one. There's also a few pounds of helmet/jumpsuit/stuff on top of that). 220/170 = 1.3, with 170 square feet a possible third canopy after 300 jumps. Some people object that going through parachutes is expensive and that you should get gear you'll grow into. They're wrong on both counts - when you buy used gear you can spend the same $1-$2 on depreciation per jump regardless of how many canopies you go through, and what'll be safe in 100 jumps isn't now. Proper canopy choice is also means more fun putting a bigger canopy you're comfortable with through its paces than being stuck flying a small one in straight lines because that's where your skill stops.

No. Ordinarily my response to things I wouldn't like is "that's not food, that's what food eats" although in this case I doubt even my dinner would chow down on that. I'm more flexible when it comes to animal parts. Pig ears, hearts, and lungs; sea urchin genitalia; raw quail eggs; raw salmon/flying fish roe; dried mullet roe; steak tartare; beef tongue; and cow head are all regularly on my menu. I tried chicken feet once which was enough.

At least two more years on your sabre to learn how to really fly it (just 384 jumps at your current rate). [QUOTE] I do jump quite a bit here in Fl averaging 16 jumps a/month. Not bragging or saying I'm some kind of skygod just so you have an understanding of my currency. [/QUOTE] Averaging fewer than four jumps a week isn't a lot.

It doesn't matter. Politicians stay in power by "doing something" which appeals to the voters without pissing off the people who paid to put them in office. That said here's a clue about internet gun sales: Federal law still allows people without Federal Firearms Licenses to sell non-NFA firearms (like machine guns) to residents of the same state. At home, a gun show, the range, or over the internet it doesn't matter. Back ground checks aren't required for sales by non-licensees and the last time I checked they weren't even possible because only FFLs had access to the National Instant Check System. Federal law allows people in the same state to ship each other non-NFA firearms, although in practice this only works for long guns which can be mailed because handguns and other concealable firearms can't be mailed between non-licensees. Although federal law allows you to ship non-NFA firearms intrastate via a common carrier, it's against their (FedEx, UPS, DHL) tariffs and federal law requires you to notify them when you're shipping a gun so that's not possible. Private transfers of any sort (internet or otherwise) aren't allowed between non-licensees residing in different states - a FFL needs to be involved.

The basic income tax introduced in 1913 is the best example. In 1913 the exemption for single people was $3000 ($69,782 in 2013 dollars) and $4000 ($93,042 in 2013 dollars) for married couples. The first $20,000 beyond the exemption ($465,212 in 2013 dollars) was taxed at 1%. Earnings over $500,000 a year ($11,630,303 in 2013 dollars) were taxed at the top rate of 7%. Compare and contrast with the $10K/$20K exemption for single people and married couples (standard deduction plus personal exemptions), 10% low tax bracket, 39.6% top bracket for earned income (not including both parts of medicare and the surcharge), and 23.8% capital gains rate for "the wealthy".

It's easy. You put in the same $17.5K/year in current dollars and break $3M after 37 years assuming you get the same 7% real returns the S&P 500 has averaged since 1950 with dividends re-invested. You get to that annual contribution by pretending that raises early in your career don't exist until you get to that point. Living in a one-bedroom apartment and driving a car older than you makes you a bad American for failing to embrace consumerism, but does make a comfortable retirement (where you relax, travel, and do whatever) much more likely. I was a little slow starting (upgraded from a rented one bedroom apartment to owning a town home with a room mate to help with expenses and bought a 3 year old car before maxing out my 401k deposits) so building $3M in wealth via 401k contributions will take me until I'm 68 assuming historic returns continue and I don't work for another company which makes matching contributions. It's even easier when you just focus on the number and ignore inflation. Assuming the Federal Reserve matches the last 37 years you'd only need to accumulate $1.3M in current dollars to arrive at the same nominal balance.

Yup. $3M only allows a safe draw of $120K/year. While that sounds like a lot for young people living in fly-over country, in expensive places that won't cover a year's stay in the average nursing home for one person and a couple with that sort of income would qualify for government moderate income housing programs. The average senate seat costs $1.7M per year to hold ($10.5M campaign cost, 6 year term) but pays only $174K. That arithmetic works because some one else pays to put politicians in office. Politicians need to placate the people voting for them without offending the PACs and 0.4% (those making campaign contributions big enough to require reporting, with the bulk of such contributions for many candidates being at the $10,000 per couple statutory limit for primary and general elections) of natural people paying to elect them. A big bite out of the tax dollars funneled to corporatist interests ($500B annually goes directly to contractors, and hundreds of billions reach those interests indirectly through things like Medicare Part D) would help the budget but offend those people. Making it harder on the moderately well off (actual wealthy people don't need IRAs because they don't need to work) placates the voters without hurting the campaign donors.

S.150. Probably politically non-viable nationally at this point in time. Connecticut SB 1160 passed. California legislators like Yee are working hard to expand our existing bans. S.374 with exceptions for family members, the deceased, and temporary transfers for sporting purposes. Obama is flying Sandy Hook families in on Air Force One to support this one. This is more of a local issue. Los Gatos was pursing a moratorium on retail gun sales. Glendale is looking at banning gun shows. S.150. HB 1224 passed in Colorado. Bullets don't magically stop criminals and there are situations where 10 rounds aren't enough - one of the criminals in the infamous 1986 FBI shoot out took six hits and the other a dozen before they ceased their attacks. Politicians are being more active threatening our gun rights than usual. As a happy side effect for manufacturers, dealers, and the NRA that's leading to record sales. Gun owners need to pay attention, lay in lifetime supplies of firearms (buy extras so you're not out of luck if one is stolen after it becomes illegal to replace it) and accessories (magazines get damaged) likely to be banned, and make our voices heard through contributions to the NRA Political Victory Fund, NRA Institute for Legislative Action, and individual pro-gun candidates who will be contesting winnable elections.

ammoman.com has Danish M855 in stock. Only $600 per case of 750 delivered http://www.ammoman.com/556x45-62-grain-danish-by-ama

I find it warmly ironic that one of the best savings acct rates in the US is apparently offered by Pioneer Muslim Federal Credit Union at 3.03% APY. http://www.gobankingrates.com/savings-account/what-is-the-average-savings-account-interest-rate/ Its field of membership is "Any person representing Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim belong to Momin Community from India, Gujarat Sidhpur district" What do we need to do to qualify?

Obama didn't do anything to increase 2012 taxes except for single filers with over $200K in taxable income and married couples with over $250K. Tax refunds are also a completely separate issue from tax liabilities. A refund traditionally means you paid to much and gave the government an interest free loan. They're not a good thing. I've been getting significant tax refunds because 1. Bernanke's meddling produced negative real interest rates and I've lagged a bit adjusting my withholding to compensate for the drop in income. 2. I planned on our adult son having a job which would make him his own dependent and reduce my tuition and fees deduction. I'll be glad when that stops. I dislike Obama because he's an elitist corporatist pig. He eliminates capital gains for investors then increases capital gains taxes 59% on significant startup wins for rank and file employees. As a wealthy person who doesn't need all his money now he slowly moves $9 million tax free out of his estate while calling for estate taxes that will decrease the amount of money prudent middle class savers can pass on to their heirs after holding on to it until they die because they need it to live off the investment proceeds. He supports the Federal Reserve's interest rate manipulations which punish middle class savers and retirees who must keep a disproportionate fraction of their wealth liquid while making bigger profits for banks and the real-estate industry. His "health care reform" does more to maximize insurance industry profits (mandatory purchase, no price caps, limits on catastrophic plans for people over 30, must charge young people at least 1/3 of old people) than it does to improve heath care. Obama does plenty to complain about. Next time please pick something he's actually responsible for.

We are. I had to leave my favorite guns in an out of state storage facility from which they were stolen and I can't jump off the Auburn bridge like others (Perrine) in free states. Strict land-use laws limit housing density and keep costs high (2 bedroom apartments in my neighborhood rent for $3000/month). There are a lot of business regulations, restrictions, and taxes. Each corporate entity I own must pay a $800/year minimum tax even when they're loosing money. I'm free to do less in my spare time due to the zoning impact on housing and 9.3% marginal tax rate cutting into my budget a lot more than in free states like Washington (0%) and Colorado (4.63% with one friend observing that the difference between Boulder's allegedly high property costs and decent places in the valley was $1M). The venture capital and startup scenes are awesome (42% of 2011 venture investments were in Silicon Valley), otherwise I'd live someplace else.

No. While I quite like some varieties of home grown tomatoes I've caught rats eating my wife's tomatoes and we dislike rats more than we like eating tomatoes.

It's been a while since I saw _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas_.

Maybe a liberal did it - lots have told me that if they had a gun they'd shoot some one. Maybe it was a former prisoner. Various studies show that 80-90% of murderers have prior criminal records and the Uniform Crime Reports show that 8% of them are juveniles who by definition cannot have adult criminal records.

and the not so rich. 89.5B divided by the bottom 48.8M households is an average of $1834 per household. Many people could quadruple that net worth in a year by forgoing their $300/month new car lease. Many could double that in 18 months by skipping their $100/month TV plan. This ignores real big ticket items like housing, where the average new home swelled from under 1000 square feet in 1950, through 1400 square feet in 1970, to a peak of nearly 2,800 square feet in 2008 even though families were shrinking. With basic cable, a 1998 car, and 1991 double wide home my net worth is a whole lot higher than if I embraced consumerism over saving for retirement and rainy days. After thinking about it I'm more offended by those people who've chosen to be irresponsible than the Waltons who are doing better because they just happened to have the right parents.

No. I don't think Diablos have any redeeming qualities. John LeBlanc reduced the toggle sensitivity of all canopies (Velocity, Katana, etc.) following the Stiletto because he observed jumpers having issues with roll stability on landing. The Diablo is even more sensitive and lacks the Stiletto's flat glide and plane-out which made it pleasant to fly. This ignores market values (low for Diablo, higher for a recent PD design). It also ignores that fully elliptical designs are inappropriate for people with under 300 jumps. That's because an elliptical will quickly point itself at the ground when told too whether or not that's what you want and at that experience level you're likely to have issues with muscle memory being sufficient to avoid over-controlling the canopy in stressful situations. Here's a Stiletto 150 fatality at a 1.2 pound/square foot wing loading. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3709212

You can as long as you pay the $200 transfer tax on the canon and each round of ammunition (non-explosive rounds aren't inherently destructive devices subject to the making and transfer taxes). Legislative restrictions on the market (weapons transferable to people without federal firearms licenses must have been made before 1986) have artificially increased the price of nice automatic rifles to $10,000 - $20,000 each so there's not enough market for every gun store to deal in them. Provided that you have the money, live in a free state, and pay your $200 transfer tax you're welcome to one. As of 1994 there were 240,000 legal privately owned machine guns in America. Since 1934 only two have been used in murders, the most recent in 1989 by a corrupt Ohio police officer who used his personal MAC-10 to murder an informant. You could also get a type 07 Federal Firearms License (the hard part), become a class 2 Special Occupational Tax payer (the expensive part at $500/year), and make one yourself. Because it's not made in America. Private companies use recoilless rifles with explosive warheads for avalanche control. Market forces have more to do with it. Even if we accepted "shall not be infringed" as not absolute and that prior restraint was acceptable (we don't limit internet access because some one might use it advocate violence against our leaders or chemically castrate law abiding men because they might rape a woman) we'd disagree on the definition of reasonable. According to Dianne Feinstein (who as the federal assault weapon ban sponsor lacks motivation to under-estimate) 385 people have been killed by assault weapons since 2004, or 43 a year. To put that in perspective: In 2010 there were 32,885 motor vehicle fatalities of which 48% 15784 were not the driver. 4,500 of those were pedestrians and cyclists. Alcohol was involved in 32% of auto fatalities, or 5050 non-driver fatalities assuming uniform distribution of circumstances. We don't ban it, although we make it illegal to use it irresponsibly by drinking and driving. Speeding was involved in 31%, or 4893 non-driver fatalities. We don't put GPS controlled speed governors in cars, although we do make it illegal to drive cars capable of 135+ MPH faster than the speed limit. Regulating law-abiding citizens' ownership of firearms used to kill orders of magnitude fewer people is unreasonable given the governments' treatment of more dangerous objects.