SivaGanesha

From my perspective the most disturbing thing here is elimination of the statute of limitations--especially a retroactive elimination of the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations is there for a reason because after many years it becomes difficult to prove a case either way except in extreme situations like murder. However, I'm wondering whether there was ever a statute of limitations on the debt itself--as opposed to the administrative offset procedures? That is--absent the ability to get the money from the IRS, would Social Security itself eventually have withheld the money when she applied for Social Security benefits? Some government debt has no statute of limitations. Federal income tax has a 10 year statute of limitations after you file--but no limitations if you fail to file. State income tax has no statute of limitations IIRC. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Everything you say makes sense--it is just that it is not my personal experience. My experience has been that when labor is in short supply and they can't hire people fast enough, there is great pressure on the people they do have to work to put in incredibly long hours. It's done with a carrot (the potential of cashing in big) rather than a stick but the pressure is there nevertheless. By contrast when the company is laying people off, they have less leverage to persuade people to work long hours. The stick of possibly being laid off is present but people know they may be laid off from a dying company no matter what they do--so there are limits to the stick's power of persuasion. The more ambitious of the employees usually then put their efforts into dusting off the resume rather than putting extra hours into a dying company. Again, YMMV. But the above describes the dynamic at most companies I've worked in boom and bust times. Also, I've generally found Americans to be reluctant to take their full vacation time during both boom and bust times. I see that as more a rather sad comment on America than on the economic/business cycle. It's not that way in other countries. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

With the middle class seemingly shrinking faster than any other segment of American society, it seems there must be some people out there who really hate the middle class. So what would be the reason for this? Are the middle class too conformist and that irritates some people? So why do you hate the middle class? "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

My experience in tech has been nearly the exact opposite. I've found it MUCH easier to get away with slacking off a bit during the bust years than during the boom years. During boom years, this illusory gold rush mentality seems to set in where everyone thinks if they just work hard for a couple of years they'll be able to cash in their stock options and become fabulously wealthy. The illusion really only comes true for a small number of people, but in that kind of environment there can be ridiculously high peer pressure to work impossibly long hours. But during bust years, no one is under any illusions that they are going to get rich any time soon--so they understand they need to pace themselves and not burn out too quickly. This, ironically, has resulted, at least for me, in a much more laid back work atmosphere during bust years. I don't have good memories of the workplace from 1997 - 2000. I had to work very long hours, under very intense pressure, and because I wasn't one of the lucky few, I ended up with little to show for it. By contrast, the workplace atmosphere has been more relaxed since 2000--although it seems to be at risk of overheating again soon in Silicon Valley. Now the political atmosphere in the country was more innocent in 1997 - 2000 because it was pre-9/11. But the overheated workplaces of those days I definitely don't miss. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

They seem to be having trouble with the sample I sent them. Apparently some people do not have enough DNA in their spit. The problem is that if there are any glitches early on they can be very, very slow. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

I didn't say one was better than the other. I suggested, as others have done, some of the advantages or disadvantages going one way or the other. The ultimate decision as to which is better is an individual decision. I do, however, claim that if someone chooses to learn a trade requiring physical work--and, yes, this includes plumbers/electricians as well as skydiving jobs--then one advantage is that one's work cannot be outsourced. Is that advantage enough to overcome other disadvantages? That's for each person to decide for themselves. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Yes it's a physical type job (all skydiving roles) demanding something physically of the person. Physical type jobs do have all the disadvantages you mention, but they have one big advantage that no one has mentioned. Physical jobs can't be outsourced nearly as easily as jobs like engineering. With engineering, you never know (no matter what country your job happens to be in) when your company might find a way to do your job more cheaply in another country--and then it's goodbye job. The work of an AFFI or TI can't be outsourced so easily. I could go on at greater length re the downsides of an engineering career, but I'd be at risk of channeling Shah if I did so, so I'll leave it at that. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

It specifically applies ONLY to USPA group members located in the US. Outside the US the lower limit will be 16: http://www.uspa.org/NewsEvents/News/tabid/59/Default.aspx#36995 "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

I understand

No, you are right, I don't know you. I am offering you my objective feedback as a disinterested observer but a layman. You apparently have the professional expertise but I suspect aren't viewing this as objectively as when you make such decisions in a professional capacity. You talked about "beating this guy to a pulp". I certainly found that "alarming" and a "threat to do offensive touching". I won't comment any further on the law. I'm simply saying be careful. You said some things yourself I found pretty scary. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

What I'm about to say is irrelevant since I know you have no intention of ever contacting him again. However, if he's told you in no uncertain terms to stop contacting his friends and family--and if said friends and family seem to be on his side, not yours--then legally he does in fact have a pretty strong case against you for harrassment if you continue the contact he has told you to cease. It might be different if your only contact with him were indirect (through friends and family) and they supported you in "intervening". But it sounds like those closer to him than you are are supporting him. He's exercised his right to ask you to cease contact and his rights are his rights--alcoholic or not. At this point about the only contact that would be advisable would be if you contacted law enforcement if you know he has committed or is about to commit a crime (eg DUI). But I know all this is irrelevant at this point because you've made your own decision to cease contact with him--definitely the right decision for your own legal protection if nothing else. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Yeah, well, when it comes to the "toxic" graphic you posted, last time I checked, you Brits didn't exactly take kindly to illegal immigrants moving into your precious islands in the South Atlantic. Gov Brewer is a tough b***h not to be messed with--just like Prime Minister Thatcher before her. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

I, for one, will congratulate Gov Brewer twice: first for standing with the gay and lesbian people of Arizona, and secondly for, a little while back, standing against the illegal immigrants of Arizona. In my opinion she made the right call both times. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

You are missing my point. I'm not arguing against a business following the law when it comes to underage drinking. I'm arguing against a business carding some people and not others in the name of "following the law". If society has truly agreed that drinking underage or serving underage people is a very serious matter, as you suggest, then businesses should have no problem with carding everyone in a non-discriminatory fashion. It's when you card some people and not others that you have discrimination. If it's the law, a business should be allowed no discretion whatsoever as to how to enforce it. Otherwise you allow a business the opportunity to practice discrimination in the name of enforcing the law--and that is wrong even if the law itself is a good law. Although the issue wasn't specifically age discrimination, have a look at the following website for evidence that carding policy by bars can, indeed, lead to claims of discrimination: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/under-pressure-from-city-madison-bars-end-controversial-id-policy/article_107d6022-0cc4-11e1-8f93-001cc4c03286.html I'm opposed to discrimination in ALL its forms whether "society" agrees with me or not. I don't form my opinions based on what "society" considers to be politically correct at the present time. It depends what you mean by "society". The trend to end discrimination against gay and lesbian people has broad international support. Yes, there are shameful exceptions like Russia and Uganda--but I think you will find that the trend on a worldwide basis is to relax and do away with laws that discriminate against gay and lesbian people. The USA was by no means the first Western democracy to legalize gay marriage, but the USA has followed (not led) the international trend to legalize gay marriage. The USA has done the right thing, but as a follower, not as a leader. Not so when it comes to the drinking age of 21. There you I think you will find that the USA is significantly out of step with most of the rest of the world--and it is only a few ultraconservative countries (outside of the USA) that set the drinking age at 21. Internationally the norm seems to more be 18: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_drinking_age Very few countries outside the USA seem to have followed the USA's lead in raising the drinking age to 21. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

There is no discrimination here because EVERYONE should wash their hands whether they shit on their hands or not. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

No it is clearly discrimination. It is possible to comply with the law without discriminating simply by requiring ID of EVERYONE purchasing alcohol--even the elderly--and there ARE places that sell alcohol that do just this to avoid discrimination. To do anything else is discrimination IMHO. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Many businesses already discriminate on the basis of age. Should this be legal? What I mean is this: the LAW only requires that someone be 21 or older in order to drink. However, many businesses that sell alcohol will set a higher threshold (say, 30, or whatever) such that if someone appears to be under 30, they have to produce ID to be able to buy alcohol. Now it is true than anyone over the age of 21 can buy alcohol after producing ID. But this seems to me to be clear discrimination against the young (or those who appear young), as those who appear to be older than 30 are allowed to purchase alcohol without the burden of showing ID. Should this be legal? The business is discriminating not only against those under 21--this is mandated under law--but also against those who appear to be under 30--and this is NOT sanctioned by law. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Agreed--however, FATCA enforcement is by no means unique to Canada. Canada is merely the most recent nation to sign. Switzerland, for example, signed much earlier than Canada and has already effectively ended a centuries-old tradition of banking secrecy--at least when it comes to Americans with Swiss bank accounts. This has made life very difficult for American expats in Switzerland--including honest middle class taxpayers who simply happen to have a job in Switzerland. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Yeah, but when we get to that point, it ain't going to be easy to leave. Just this week, for example, Canada became the 22nd world government to sign a FATCA agreement with Washington: http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2014/02/07/canada-hungary-sign-u-s-fatca-deals-irs-to-get-data/ US citizens have to pay tax on their worldwide income even if they have no ties at all to the US. FATCA is an enforcement mechanism for this. In the case of Canada, for example, it means that come July 1, it will be a violation of Canadian law if a US or dual citizen in Canada fails to come clean with their US tax data (such as their US social security number) to Canadian banks. Albeit smaller Canadian credit unions still seem to be exempt--for now. The clear message of FATCA to US citizens owing US tax is that you can run but you can't hide. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

To be fair to the OP, many of the posts in those search results are quite unrelated to the question of age at 1st jump. That said, this is clearly not the 1st time this question has been asked. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Short answer: by wearing an altimeter and pulling at an agreed altitude. Other answers: There are also audible altimeters that signal when it is time to pull. On tandem jumps the instructor may handle this 100% so the student/passenger doesn't have to worry about pulling. On AFF jumps, and SOLELY as a backup, an instructor will signal when it is time to pull if the student appears to be having trouble w/altitude awareness. When I did the static line progression back in the 80's, freefall delays of 10 sec or less were done via a count rather than with an altimeter, although I don't know if this is still standard practice for the static line progression. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Will Amsterdam let you have a bank account there? http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2012/09/27/american-expats/1594695/ "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Between CBT, FBAR, and FATCA it might not be so easy to leave even if you want to. CBT == Citizenship Based Taxation. Unique to the USA and our great partner in crime on the world stage, Eritrea. FBAR == Foreign Bank Account Report. FATCA == Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

Must have been quite an unpleasant surprise to have this happen! Heal soon :) "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

In answering the poll, it is intended that one assume all four options are actually available. In practice, it might be the case that some options are unavailable due to weather, money, what the available DZ's offer, etc. But that isn't really the point of the poll. "It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014