Peter_Puget

hmm wnder how true this is

Worm I think you are missing something very important. For example, suppose a certain group called "alphas" all died at age 55 of sudden heart attacks. As a group they will pay in there entire working life and then they die. As a group what is their rate of return? How does it compare to the "betas' who retire from active work at age 55 and live until 120? PP

link By groups I didnt mean to suggest age groups but other classes. (Eg income level, race...) For instance if the rate of return is already negative for African Americans rasing the age of benefits would decrease the return even more! I believe that virtually all the the SS "Trust Fund" is invested in government securities. SOme trust fund!

Wormfighter, Consider my previous post. Would pushing back the retirement age impact different groups equally? What groups would benefit the most? The least?

CLinton showed up with Sandy Berger and Bruce Linsey (his freakin lawyer) and I would note that two dems on the 9/11 commission walked out during the President's testimony. They had more important things to do!

The rate of return on the forced investment (in SS) was estimated at about a bit under 2% overall. The interesting thing is that for African-Americans the rate of return is actually negative! Think about the implications of that!

Biner problem

About that wall - after the last climber picnic I attended I thought I'd sneak a few moves in before going home - my ankle was sore for month! Either too few or too many beers.

Minx, We need to talk but i am afraid you'll never understand Book of Twight ch.3 v. 23 PP

Sex? It’s a waste of your vital energy. If you can waste energy in such a manner and still reach your climbing goals, you aren’t climbing hard enough! PP

Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, April 29, 2004; Page B03 A lawsuit accusing Congress of illegally selecting the kind of political views that can be expressed in Metro station advertisements will probably help shape what Americans can see in mass transit systems across the country, attorneys said in a court hearing yesterday. A federal judge heard arguments in a suit filed after Metro rejected an ad from Change the Climate, a group that advocates reforms in laws against marijuana. Metro took the action after Congress passed a law that denies federal money to transit systems that accept advertising promoting the legalization of drugs. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman warned that the case's outcome might require Metro to make painful choices. The transit system could be pressed to remove other politically charged advertisements it has long accepted on train platforms and bus shelters, or it could be forced to give up crucial federal funds that help pay for the transit system's expansion. He said he would announce a ruling soon. Change the Climate and two other drug policy groups filed the suit, along with the American Civil Liberties Union. They contended that the law amounted to unconstitutional censorship. The suit challenges a law that threatens 53 transit authorities with the loss of $3.1 billion in federal funds annually if they accept ads criticizing U.S. drug policy. Rep. Ernest J. Istook Jr. (R-Okla.), angered by a marijuana legalization ad that appeared last year in the Metro system, introduced the legislation in December. The ad showed a couple with the legend "Enjoy better sex! Legalize and Tax Marijuana." In court yesterday, the Justice Department argued that the federal government can refuse to help provide a canvas for groups to state their political views. Drug policy critics have other places to advertise, said Sara Clash-Drexler, the government attorney. By providing federal funds to transit authorities -- including about $170 million to Metro for capital projects each year -- the government is essentially helping to create the public gathering place where such ads are displayed, Clash-Drexler maintained. But in weighing the arguments, Friedman told the lawyers that he had "a lot of questions" about why some political advocacy advertisements are considered appropriate by Metro and Congress -- but the drug policy ads are not. "Isn't that arbitrary?" he asked. Several Metro train platforms now carry ads that call for President Bush to be censured for what they describe as misleading the American public about the war in Iraq. Another ad in the system calls for the resignation of Secretary of Education Roderick R. Paige for alleged failures in a federal education program. The judge said that Istook "maybe didn't see the ads about President Bush or Secretary Paige, or his legislation would have been broader . . . to stop those, too." The case could hinge on how far Congress's power over the federal purse extends. Attorneys on both sides said that Congress had indicated over the years that it wanted to deny funds to organizations and government agencies that accepted advertising promoting or encouraging illegal behavior. "These ads might encourage the use of drugs, which is illegal at this time," Clash-Drexler said. But Friedman said he saw little evidence of that and pointed to an oversized advocacy ad displayed at the back of the courtroom. It featured a series of faces behind the bars of a jail cell, with the following caption: "Marijuana Laws Waste Billions of Taxpayer Dollars to Lock Up Non-Violent Americans. " That is one of the ads Metro rejected, setting off the suit. "What rational person would look at this ad and say it encourages you to break the law?" the judge asked. link

The poll seems to be running in favor of Kerry. Here is my proposal. We should bet. Each person chooses who they think will win the election and pledges a contribution if that person looses. The payoff would be made in beer at the Pub Club following the election or Supreme Court decision. Simple & low stakes.

Do not consider who you want to win while answering this poll answer who you think will win.

Here is the best quote I have read recently related to Kerry. You know [Chris] Matthews is slipping when he's the guy Democrats go to in order to recover from the tough questioning on Good Morning America. PP

Where did I claim FAs? I believe I stated that I was taken to Vantage. The person taking me had in fact climbed there before and was himself taken there by others who had climbed there. I have claimed no FAs. As a sidebar what I remember most was the dirt (ash?) in the cracks and the amount of loose rocks within the cracks.

Quiet wouldn't be the word that would have fallen off my tongue describing Vantage prior to '86. Love to read a the story of who introduced you the Coulee and what you did from 1980 on. I know some of the early details of the area but have heard a lot of BS too. While I have met or known all the guide book authors on the Coulee, the best history of the area that I have read, that actually is backed up by my own experiences there, was done by Yoder and Marlene. Always figured grades were the climbing communities' consensus. Never was too concerned about it. And never thought one person's lead graded a climb. You weren't part of that consensus Peter...having climbed there since 1980? I would have thought you would have written the guide book. Funny too, that in the three guide books ('91, '99, '02) I have sitting here, all of them disagree on ratings for the same climbs almost 20 years after they were first done. Not much of a consensus IMO. Butcher of Bagdad should have a better rating, done on pre- placed bolts and in '94. Ten years after the other 3 were done on gear, all placed on lead. Bad comparison IMO. If I can get over clipping bolts and my lardass maybe I should do them all again and decide for myself. I was just wondering what other's thought were the "best" and some intelligent conversation. Dane - Many people climbed at Vantage before you discovered it. You seem to be calling my honesty into question. That's fine. For what its worth I was taken to the area around Sunshine Wall. We approached the routes from below. I was not claiming that I did the FA of Lingerie or Jihad - but I was claiming to have done them before they were changed. I have a different opinion of those routes. I am glad you enjoyed them. PP

Funny that Peter. I have done many of the better cracks in the PNW and I would rate those short cracks as some of the best, short of Indian Creek. Max Dufford was willing to proclaim S&Ss as the best stemming problem in Washington. That after having done some of the best at Index. Dane - I was a bit irritated that you had to slag Vantage climbing in your initial post. Thanks for the history. Funny that you seem to be claiming that I said SS was mediocre. Here is what I said: "LOL well you alway shave an atittude but in any event two of the climbs you mentioned are way overrated (despite being downrated since the FA!) and mediocre. Stems and seeds is pretty good tho." Funny that, I wasn't saying SS was mediocre. I am glad you enjoy the routes. Vantage was pretty quiet in years past I was first taken there in 1980. The area has changed quite a bit. I climbed the two routes in question a long time ago. Cheers, PP

Butcher of Bagdad is a great route! So is the route next to it. (Aftershock) I agree ME Wall has some good routes and generally good rock. (The top can get kinda funcky) We'll have to continue to disagree over the ratings. Go lead Lingerie and then one of the two I just recomended. I am doing my GK imitation today.

Jihad was originally rated 11+ and I think Lingerie 12+ or maybe the other way around. Look at the ratings polls there is a lot of divergence about ratings. I haven't done either of those climbs in years. I do remember Bob being harder, heck corner pockets is a harder lead and it is only .10. Plus didnt the fa guys carve the name at the base? Or was that another climb.

Free Firends is good haven't doen enough to say its the best.. Worth the drive from Seattle tho

rock 106 is good maybe Firestone 500 or Free Installation

One of those routes on the Secondary Face, Oomph w/ direct start. Minne rocks!

LOL well you alway shave an atittude but in any event two of the climbs you mentioned are way overrated (despite being downrated since the FA!) and mediocre. Stems and seeds is pretty good tho. PP

Thrutch is right. Solitude and wonderful views. Fun place for picnics too. Although the rock is pretty bad, there are some good climbs there. For example: Gom Jabbar 10a (and a route right to it left) on the Gravel Top formation Superciliary Line 5.10d on the Beak looks outrageous. I was too wimpy to try it tho. Maybe if I knew more about the bolts. The Sphinx formation has some good routes including a fun TR up a groove on the right side. I think REI has guides in stock. Dale Boyle wrote the guide. Contact info in the guide is: PO Box 376 Bremerton, WA 98337 Odds are if you only want to go there to climb you will not like it. If you want a day outside with a bit of climbing you might have fun. PP

Come on Josh ...I am waiting... Phased-In Tax Cuts and Economic Activity Christopher L. House and Matthew D. Shapiro NBER Working Paper No. 10415 (April 2004) Phased-in tax reductions are a common feature of tax legislation. This paper uses a dynamic general equilibrium model to quantify the effects of delaying tax cuts. According to the analysis of the model, the phased-in tax cuts of the 2001 tax law substantially reduced employment, output, and investment during the phase-in period. In contrast, the immediate tax cuts of the 2003 tax law provided significant incentives for immediate production and investment. The paper argues that the rules and accounting procedures used by Congress for formulating tax policy have a significant impact in shaping the details of tax policy and led to the phase-ins, sunsets, and temporary tax changes in both the 2001 and 2003 tax laws. I would think irrational exuberance, 9-11, and extraordinary increases in productivity might be important factors too! Oh wait I forgot this is just political sloganeering.... PP