captain_stan

Then all you need to do is convince the majority of the voters to make it a democtratic reality. Again, good luck with that--you're making a weak case to a tough audience. Sure, my IQ is certainly up for debate. But at least I hope it's clear that I'm not hatefull towards those who are more affluent than me, and I have no interest in stealing from tham to make my life easier. One needn't be greedy in order to be a good citizen.

Different terminology for the same thing. Good luck with that. Remember though that the reason some people have greater assets than you is because they are smarter than you. Still, you can be comforted by the fact that even stupid people have the right to be greedy.

sure it is - when 1% of the population own 40% of the nation's wealth... Do you even know the difference between "wealth" and "income?" If so, then you seem to be advocating the siezure of the assets of US citizens. It would take more than that to surprise me at this point.

Dude, I'm Captain Stan--I bleed red, white, and blue. What could be more patriotic than investing in America when everybody else is kicking us around? Write a check? Sure. Uncle Sam will get some of that interest back when I pay my income tax.

No, the simple fact is that we've been throwing rice for decades, and the only thing we have to show for it is more angry peasants and fewer affluent folks to do the throwing.

What was your wing loading under the Pulse?

It would be more accurate to say that the top skin does more work in making lift, but the bottom has higher load-bearing stress points, often utilizing extra reinforcement. Not necessarily. There are many design factors that affect the flare. I don't think there is any reason a hybid canopy cannot perform well in every respect. It's more likely that the Pulse was designed with other priorities than the type of strong, two-stage flare that most experienced skydivers want. Packing and ease of learning may be two of these factors. I'd have to see a Storm in action (or fly one) to make that call. There are lots of good canopies on the market, each of which has it's own advantages. All of the ones that I've personally chosen just happen to be all Zero-P construction. But then I don't care about ease in packing, low volume, or ease in learning.

Credible information helps us make better decisions, but nothing trumps personal experience. Within a supervised environment, who is more qualified than you to know what you will like to fly? By all means, get some personal advice from those who have earned your trust. But ultimately, you will learn the most from actually jumping different canopies. Opportunities may be limited by your experience and what is available, but take every chance to try different canopies. I borrow gear from others and also lend-out my gear for this purpose, and we have all learned greatly from this experience. This is a big investment, so make sure you will be happy with your choice.

Yes, I assure you that you have, because the bottom is where the suspension lines are attached, creating stress-points. I have no personal experience with the service life of these hybrid canopies but I know something about how this fabric ages. Uncoated fabric increases permeability with age--this doesn't necessarily weaken it. The lower surfaces can leak a little air without affecting performace so badly, but the top skin is much more critical to performance, hence the shorter life of an all-F111 canopy. OK, it's performance meets the minimum acceptable standard to some skydivers. My point is that it compares poorly to many other models. I'm a rigger, not a marketing guru--note that the Sillhouette isn't offered w/ low-bulk fabric. I'm not sure why, but it may pack bigger by design. A newbie might want to buy a container to keep long-term and sized for a smaller future main, hence the benefit of a bigger (sq. ft), yet small pack-volume first main. My former student bought a new container and a Pulse with this plan in mind. Student or expert, who doesn't want a good flare?

The problem is not so much a matter of "no hope" but rather one of "false hope" as in "hope and change." I agree that such civil disobedience seems inevitible. In 1776 it was about freedom to succeed or fail. Today it's about entitlements. I don't see any possible outcome other than anarchy, which may or may not be an improvement. Good luck with that anyway.

Is that a rhetorical question? Do you have any point? Are you ranting against the affluent or against the entire system? Are you advocating anything specific? Are your thoughts comprehesible in any way?

At this point I'd settle for any kind of point!

I call that a "slippery quote." Sounds bad on paper, but while the equity markets were diving last week, and everyone was worried about our credit rating, my favorite T-bill mutual fund, Barclays TIPS, had a share value gain and paid a 6%+ APR div. on 8/1. Rating? We don't need no stinkin' rating!

Then exactly what is your point? Better question: After 40+ working years of paying taxes and watching the middle/lower classes bring about their own demise, why would I care?

No, the bottom is subject to greater stress and is reinforced to withstand this. OTOH, the top is subject to more UV exposure, for which ZP fabric coating provides protection. Correct, but for a different reason. It's probably more durable than you think. Strong enough, in fact, that reserves are made from the same fabric. Although the permeability (air leakage) will increase over time, this probably won't affect the performance noticeably nor the strength significantly. They are known for a weak flare even when new. It might not get much worse with age, but neither will it get any better. A former student bought one of these, and I've never been less impressed with an expensive, new canopy. Big advantages: easy to learn to pack and lower pack volume.

Enter the community organizer.

***What effect would inflation have on these households that pay no income tax and therefore recieved no tax cut? Would they be paying more tax hidden as inflation? Sure they would. This kind of tax (inflation) effects everyone portionately. What could be more fair? Are they complaining that zero income tax is unfair to them because they suffer from inflation, and even this to a lesser degree than those who are more affluent? OK, but I still don't feel sorry for them

I believe that the US has the best voters that money can buy. Should I blame the big-budget advertisers for the ignorance and narscism of the electorate? Hope? Every adult citizen has the right to vote. Winston Churchill said that the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. We're proving him right.

Agreed--that would be one solution. Another would be for everyone to take responsibility for themselves, including you. I vote for #2, but hey--that's just me.

No, I don't think you've explained that very well. I don't know about "most of us," but I'm personally affected by both factors. My bank account has less buying power because of inflation, but at the same time I'm paying way less in income tax so I realize a net gain. Since the rate of saving in the US is so low, I'm guessing that lower income tax has a greater positive effect than inflation's negative. But OTOH, I'm told that about half of US households pay no income tax anyway, so they won't benefit from a lower rate which makes me wonder what would these folks would have to complain about anyway?

Our country is indeed being politically divided along income lines, and this division is threatening our future. Of course I think we'd be better off with less blame-shifting and less hate-mongering.

Did I say that? Did I say that? I suggest that you permit others to define their own ideas. You won't learn anything by trying to fit others into your own ideology or spinning their assertions. But OTOH, maybe you're not really interested in exchanging ideas or learning.

Considering the hidden income tax, inflation , are you certain we've all recieved a cut? No, I'm only certain of what I said. Did I say "we've all received a cut?" No, I specifically referred to an "income tax cut." OK, for the hair-splitters: All of us who pay federal income tax received an income tax cut during GW's administration--don't start in on me, I'm not a fan, just stating a fact. This income tax cut has been extended under the current administration and remains in effect now. We pay many other taxes, both federal and local, which are beyond the scope of my comment. And AAMOF, inflation taxes those of us who have savings in dollars, regardless of our income. Feel better now?

No. I'm less interested in who started class warfare, in assigning blame for it, or perpetuating it. I'm on the low end of the income scale but still refuse to vote for stealing from the rich. After all, that's still just plain stealing. Finger-pointing isn't solving any of our problems, and this long-term plan for the wealthy to prop-up our sagging standard of living can't have a happy ending. No matter how good it might feel to blame them, we need a better solution.

We all "received" an income tax cut. When our government decides to confiscate less of what we have earned, this does not constitute a gift, a grant, or anything of substance. Although it's a lesser degree of penalization for our success, the dispoportionate taxation of those most successful still continues. Only a liberal imagination could stretch this into some kind of great gift that the wealthy have received from the government. In reality, it's more like a thief announcing that he will not steal as much from us. An even greater liberal spin is that this imaginary "gift" has been stolen from another class of people and handed over to the wealthy. Can you say "class warfare?"