slothrop

Sheeit, I gots a job already, but that sounds pretty cool.

Hey, here's an idea. Make tax evasion legal. Anyone who doesn't want to pay taxes can opt out! They just have to register with the government so that whenever they want to use governmental services, their credit card gets charged. Drive on the highway: that'll be 2 cents per mile, tracked with a mandatory remotely-read odometer. Get robbed and want the police to investigate? Ka-ching! $50/hour + donut expenses. Non-taxpayers get to fly on special airlines that aren't subject to FAA regulations or Homeland Security passenger screening. Tax evaders also don't get to invest in the stock market, since the SEC (funded by taxes) regulates it. 911 is not available for these fiercely independent souls: they get 1-900-911 ($2.99 the first minute, 99 cents each additional minute). Oh, and no voting, either. What would be the point? mr. radon, I think this is just what you've been looking for! Freedom from the heavy hand of the government, freedom to make your own choices about what you pay for and what you don't.

Werd. Thanks, guys. Sounds like a fun place to be: inflate your ego at Jack's and then get it crushed on scary runout sandstone! Paradise Forks looks good, but my girlfriend, who is just learning to climb cracks, might get bored or frustrated there.

I have to admit I'm curious: what you were doing with a nut tool at Marymoor?

My girlfriend and I are heading to Sedona next week for her cousin's wedding and we'd like to get in a day or two of climbing. Does anyone out there have a guidebook I could borrow until Sep. 27? Most likely we'd be going to Jack's Canyon, Oak Creek Overlook, West Elden, or the Pit. The sandstone towers and southern AZ granite will have to wait for another trip. Any suggestions on mellow multipitch routes around Sedona are welcome, too. Thanks!

I've used a different approach: up the Cave Ridge trail and then turn off into the little drainage just SE of Snoqualmie, between it and Pt. 5270'. Follow the creek, then scramble up a spur toward the east peak of Snoqualmie. From below the east peak, traverse the ridgeline towards Lundin. This is a fairly direct path to the base of the route. If you go this way, you'll probably want to get back the same way: by downclimbing the route or by rapping off the summit to the east, surfing the gully, and then contouring back west on talus toward the SE rib on Snoqualmie. We decided to try to find the Commonwealth Basin trail on the descent and ended up in bushwhack hell. At one point, we were hiking in the stream because the alternative was worse.

There's the NW Face route (1959) described in Beckey, which follows the central rib of the NW face. Then I think some Skoogs climbed two routes on the ribs running up the north side of the west ridge. There was some info posted here on those climbs a while back...

The huge majority of the current sales tax you pay in Seattle is the state portion and groceries are not taxed (good policy for the poverty-stricken).

Use this, SnowByrd: and copy the text yourself. Or link to this thread. Even newbies know how to click a link.

Yeah, I'll just drive everywhere now because cars can't get stolen. Everyone knows that. I guess I'll start putting an IED on my bike to deter thieves.

I don't see how sales tax "the only fair tax", or why consumption is the only thing that is reasonable to tax. I don't think you'll find that idea in any Constitution. It would make more sense to me that involvement in the marketplace *not* be taxed, in order to encourage trade. Income tax, on the other hand, is simple and fair. Those who can afford to pay more, should. Paying a percentage of income is fair to everyone and is a very old idea (tithing). Sims' plan sounds like a good compromise. Can you elaborate on why Ron Sims gives you the heebie-jeebies, Greg?

I agree that money has to come from somewhere, but Bush's tax cuts won't help to fund all the programs he's promising to institute: war, more funding for college students, war, community health centers, war, tax credits for health care savings accounts (huh? tax loophole for rich folks?), war, school drug testing!?!?!? (for real), war, homeownership assistance, and war. Kerry's at least willing to look on the other side of the budget equation (revenue/taxes) in order to make government useful.

I'm guessing Crichton's "environmentalism has killed 10-30 million people" includes an estimate of the number of people who could have been saved from death by malaria if only DDT hadn't been banned as a method of killing mosquitoes. Seems pretty disingenuous to make such a broad claim, especially without mentioning the lives saved by responsible environmental practices.

Very interesting, thanks for posting it. The idea that banning DDT was a major disaster is news to me. Anyone have more info on this?

Working the cams while spraying them with WD-40 worked for me. I wiped the junk off with a rag. Aliens do seem to get dirtier faster.

I use WD-40 after a soap bath and rinse. Cleans out the gunk and lubes at the same time. I couldn't believe how much crap came out of my Aliens when I last cleaned them!

Right on! Sounds like a great way to spend a few days.

Keep up the TRs about shit and bleeding on things, they're hilarious. Not to blow sunshine up your ass or anything, but I wish I could get out and climb as much good stuff as you seem to.

Most gloves come with drawcords or elastic near the wrist that (barely) keep out some of the wetness. Of course, if it's raining, you're likely wearing a jacket and can layer the glove's wrist with the end of the sleeve according to which way the water might come in to the glove. For ice climbing, glove on the outside; otherwise, I tighten my jacket's wrist over the glove.

There are plenty of waterproof gloves out there, but you'll probably have to shell out a bit more than $46. That REI One stuff, if I remember correctly, is a softshell, so it's not even advertised as waterproof. You might try getting some minimal waterproof shell gloves with enough room for your cheap liner of choice (wool, fleece, etc.). Or if you're really cheap, get some big rubber gloves and put liners in 'em.

I thought that was in the Upper Lip area?

If you don't care how people react to your invective, then why do you bother? You'll never convince anyone that you have anything useful to say if you belittle them in the course of saying it. Maybe you just like to hear yourself speak.

200-round drum magazines are legal? Maybe the ban only affects cosmetic features of assault weapons because the NRA pressured the gov't on the law so much that the resulting compromise gave us a stupid, cosmetic law instead of a robust ban. Just speculating.

Merv, people would probably listen to you more if you didn't act like such an asshole when voicing your concerns. When people are condescended to, they tend to tune out or lash out. I agree that leaving draws hanging indefinitely on a project is bad style and that Roger should clean up his mess.

What exactly is a knee lift? Are you standing or on your back?