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Michael Coslo wrote:
wrote: Michael Coslo wrote: wrote: True. It would probably not fly either in the land of entitlements. Where is the "land of entitlements"? Sweden? Bad question to ask me, since I would prefer more privilege differences between General and Extra Me too, but that's not how FCC has implemented it. (Len will no doubt have interesting comments on that one) Len's comments are rarely if ever interesting, IMHO. Error-laden, yes, but not interesting. I concede the point! 8^) ;-) If the nocodetest folks in the USA proposed options like those they might get a lot more support. But instead, we have folks like NCVEC telling us we must drop code *and* reduce the written still more. And how! Let's not forget that NCI also supports lowering the test requirements. So do others that support automatic upgrades. In principle I oppose automatic upgrades Me too. Point is, reducing the requirements hasn't promoted growth. Recall that before April 2000, the Tech required passing two written tests totalling 65 questions. Now it's a single 35 question test - yet we don't see growth! My own take on the situation is that there are indeed new people coming into the hobby, as I hear and see new licensees on the air. Yep. Same here. But we are not seeing significant growth. Many of the people that signed on ten years ago have left. There are some ham related reasons, and some not, such as increased cell phone usage, which has decimated the "honeydew" Hams. There's also the sad fact of things like hams becoming SKs and moving into nursing homes, etc. Back in the '50s and '60s, and maybe even into the '70s, almost all new hams were teenagers or young adults. Young people still make up a good percentage of new hams, but since about the mid-late 1970s we've seen an increasing percentage of older people as newcomers. Indeed, back in the early 1980s - *before* the Tech lost its code test - there was (and still is) a surge of retired and almost-retired folks in these parts getting ham licenses. Lots of new faces and lots of great hams, but unfortunately most of them won't be hams long enough to join OOTC. But it is indisputable that the reductions in requirements have NOT had any sort of significant positive impact on the Ham community. Not long-term, anyway. Despite the hand wringing, there is a place for achieving something that means something. A test that is a challenge? So what? I personally think that the ARS is only strengthened by attracting people that enjoy a bit of a challenge. That's a key point. I think it has been adequately proven that many if not most of the people that think that Element one needs to go away are also in favor of reduced overall licensing requirements. Certainly the leading organization for removal of the Morse test is. Yep. And if Element 1 is removed, and we still don't get growth, guess what's next? NCVEC has already shown their hand. Note that almost 5 years after the 200 restructuring we still retain more than 50% of Novices and 75% of Advanceds. This indicates to me a significant number of inactive hams. Sure, there are some who are satisfied with their license privs, but I suspect a lot more are SK or have dropped out. The number of Techs continues to grow in part because all Tech Pluses have been renewed as Techs since April 2000. But the total number of Techs and Tech Pluses is s few percent lower than it was in 2000. Agreed! But of course people have to know what ham radio *is* to do that! Someone suggested some short commercial spots on time. "on time"? Typo! "one" time... I wonder if that has ever been done. Nothing too elaborate, just getting the name out there. Good idea, but expensive. Seems like there are Hams that are professionals in the field that might be willing to help!...... Still have to buy the time. Yet the NCVEC folks say the solution is to create a class of ham that can't use rigs with more than 30 volts on the electronics... Goofy, goofy, goofy! Tell it to NCVEC. They think they know better than you. From what I gather, their underlying concern was actually that they think their VE's were having to work too hard. Perhaps. Also, the "Amateur Radio in the 21st Century" paper equated passing the code test with winning the Tour de France or painting the Mona Lisa, and described the stress of dealing with grown people crying because they'd flunked the code test....boo-hoo.... And it is the wrong approach. The proper approach is to allow access coupled with adequate education. Watta concept! Probably hopeless though! 8^) Not unless we stop opposing bad ideas. Shrub says hydrogen is the answer. Oh the humanity. Hydrogen's energy density issues make for some problems. That Excursion will have to tack on another 10 miles per hour on trips to make up for all the fuel stops needed. Naw, just liquefy the stuff. The big problems a - Handling a fuel that is a gas at STP is more complex than one that is a liquid. - Danger of fire and leaking pressure tanks - Where's all the hydrogen supposed to come from? You mean like dragging the gay marriage issue into the Social Security problem? 8^) Yep. The interesting thing is that allowing gay civil unions would *increase* tax revenue. And speaking of marriage: One thing I find interesting is that the divorce rates in the "red" states are consistently and clearly higher than the rates in "blue" states. Seems those folks who rant and rave about "family values" and "covenants" can't seem to stay hitched very long. All you have to do is meet some of the "reds", and you'll immediately understand why they have such a high divorce rate...... Ya gotta be more specific than that! Here's the kind of thinking being put forth: One plan being suggested in DC is for the USA to create a special savings account for each baby born in the USA, starting on a certain date. The Feds would put $2000 into each account each year until the kid reaches 18. Total investment $36,000. Assuming about 6% annual interest, each account would be worth over a million dollars when the "baby" reached 65. Nice retirement package, huh? Except it won't work for several reasons completely obvious to anyone with common sense. Who pays that 6 percent interest? That's the first problem. The last time I checked, the rate wasn't anywhere near that. Bingo! Taxes on that money? Capital gains? The money would be tax exempt until the person began to draw upon it. Inflation? That's a BIG one! ~30 years ago, when I was entering the job market out of college, entry-level engineers with degrees were making about what *minimum wage* is now. Go back 50 years, and a $5000/yr income put the average person on Easy Street, able to support a middle-class family in a way that $50,000/yr won't do today. Even if inflation stays low over the next 65 years, $1 million won't be enough to retire on. What really matters, of course, is what I call "differential interest" - the difference between inflation and the apparent interest rate. If you get interest of 6% and inflation of 2%, your money is really only growing at a rate of 4%. Your going to have to have some sort of way that the guvmint pays interest on the account when the prime is low, or you will be creating a powerful incentive for citizens to want a high interest rate which is counterproductive to the economy......The list goes on and on. Yep. Also interesting how everyone in the US will retire a millionaire! Sounds good until the reality cuts in. There are lots of millionaires today - on paper anyway. Ain't gonna work! Yet that isn't some wild-eyed idea - it's something our alleged leadership has suggested! Consider these other problems: If there are, say, 4 million births per year, the govt. will need to put $8 billion into the accounts the first year, $16 billion the second year, $24 billion the third year, etc. This won't stabilize until the 18th year, when it reaches $144 billion per year being put aside in these accounts. Most of that money would have to come from *new* revenue sources, because the existing Social Security system would have to continue to exist for a while. And that's based on *no* increase in baby production! Where's all that money supposed to come from? Then there's the question of shenanigans. Some people will try to beat the system in one way or another. More likely are govt. shenaningans - it will be hard for the pols to keep their paws off all that money in the accounts, just as they can't leave Social Security alone. Remember that the *real* problem with Social Security is that the current administration doesn't want to pay back what was borrowed! What's to keep them from "borrowing" from the new system? 73 de Jim, N2EY |
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Michael Coslo wrote: wrote Michael Coslo wrote: Back in the '50s and '60s, and maybe even into the '70s, almost all new hams were teenagers or young adults. Young people still make up a good percentage of new hams, but since about the mid-late 1970s we've seen an increasing percentage of older people as newcomers. Indeed, back in the early 1980s - *before* the Tech lost its code test - there was (and still is) a surge of retired and almost-retired folks in these parts getting ham licenses. Lots of new faces and lots of great hams, but unfortunately most of them won't be hams long enough to join OOTC. The Demographic shift in Amateur Radio is similar to many other hobbies/avocations. I think once the dust settles, the typical new ham will be in his or her 40's, and wanting to have a new pursuit after becoming financially stable and perhaps having a bit more spare time in his hands. The exact same thing has already happened in my other hobby, Amateur Astronomy. Maybe. But a lot of folks I know who are in their '40s don't fit your description, struggling with jobs, kids, etc. But it is indisputable that the reductions in requirements have NOT had any sort of significant positive impact on the Ham community. Not long-term, anyway. Despite the hand wringing, there is a place for achieving something that means something. A test that is a challenge? So what? I personally think that the ARS is only strengthened by attracting people that enjoy a bit of a challenge. That's a key point. I think it has been adequately proven that many if not most of the people that think that Element one needs to go away are also in favor of reduced overall licensing requirements. Certainly the leading organization for removal of the Morse test is. Yep. And if Element 1 is removed, and we still don't get growth, guess what's next? NCVEC has already shown their hand. Let us not forget NCI. Basically that position consists of accepting almost any compromise that will get rid of the code test. Note that almost 5 years after the 200 restructuring we still retain more than 50% of Novices and 75% of Advanceds. This indicates to me a significant number of inactive hams. Sure, there are some who are satisfied with their license privs, but I suspect a lot more are SK or have dropped out. Pretty much This has always been the case since I've been a ham. It's gotten worse since the 10 year license term. The number of Techs continues to grow in part because all Tech Pluses have been renewed as Techs since April 2000. But the total number of Techs and Tech Pluses is s few percent lower than it was in 2000. Agreed! But of course people have to know what ham radio *is* to do that! Someone suggested some short commercial spots on time. "on time"? Typo! "one" time... I wonder if that has ever been done. Nothing too elaborate, just getting the name out there. Good idea, but expensive. Seems like there are Hams that are professionals in the field that might be willing to help!...... Still have to buy the time. I would bet that a well thought out program could get some public service spots on local access TV. I guess I'm not inspiring you yet? 8^) Local access TV may bring in a few folks, but not like network TV. Maybe PBS could do a special? Imagine if Ken Burns did a documentary on amateur radio... Yet the NCVEC folks say the solution is to create a class of ham that can't use rigs with more than 30 volts on the electronics... Goofy, goofy, goofy! Tell it to NCVEC. They think they know better than you. From what I gather, their underlying concern was actually that they think their VE's were having to work too hard. Perhaps. Also, the "Amateur Radio in the 21st Century" paper equated passing the code test with winning the Tour de France or painting the Mona Lisa, Wow! now I feel really great about passing!!! ;^) Didja read that paper, and my rebuttal? and described the stress of dealing with grown people crying because they'd flunked the code test....boo-hoo.... Funny you should mention that. the first time I took element 1... and flunked... I was not pleased, but Figured I'd do it again, the person who was the most upset was the VE. I felt worse for him than myself. Lessee...I was 14 and flunked 13 wpm the first go because the examiner couldn't read my longhand. What the sadistic IHM nuns called "Palmer Method", for some reason. So I went home and taught myself to block print and copy Morse in big square capital letters (a skill not taught in the parochial schools of the day) and came back some weeks later, when I passed easily. I don't think tears would have had any effect on ol' Joe Squelch back then... Shrub says hydrogen is the answer. Oh the humanity. Hydrogen's energy density issues make for some problems. That Excursion will have to tack on another 10 miles per hour on trips to make up for all the fuel stops needed. Naw, just liquefy the stuff. Yoiks! Liquid H? Even if, the energy density is still quite a bit less than gasoline. something like 25 percent. Storage concerns are a big problem with the stuff. In a similar fashion We have Natural gas buses in our area. Their tanks are on the bus roof, and run the length of the bus. You just can't get as much energy out of the stuff. Didja know the USA is now *importing* LNG from the Middle East and other places? The big problems a - Handling a fuel that is a gas at STP is more complex than one that is a liquid. - Danger of fire and leaking pressure tanks - Where's all the hydrogen supposed to come from? Yup. While seawater might seem like the obvious way out, hydrolysis of seawater produces interesting byproducts. Yep. Plus - where do you get the electricity to hydrolyze the seawater? Now tell the people in the western US that you want to take a huge amount of their fresh water!! 8^) It is in short enough supply as it is. Might as well develop electric cars... You mean like dragging the gay marriage issue into the Social Security problem? 8^) Yep. The interesting thing is that allowing gay civil unions would *increase* tax revenue. And speaking of marriage: One thing I find interesting is that the divorce rates in the "red" states are consistently and clearly higher than the rates in "blue" states. Seems those folks who rant and rave about "family values" and "covenants" can't seem to stay hitched very long. All you have to do is meet some of the "reds", and you'll immediately understand why they have such a high divorce rate...... Ya gotta be more specific than that! hehe, when I think of the modern conservative, I keep getting this vision od Old man Newt. You mean the "family values" guy who had divorce papers served on his first wife (who had supported him through law school and the early struggles of his political career) while she was *in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment*? Here's the kind of thinking being put forth: One plan being suggested in DC is for the USA to create a special savings account for each baby born in the USA, starting on a certain date. The Feds would put $2000 into each account each year until the kid reaches 18. Total investment $36,000. Assuming about 6% annual interest, each account would be worth over a million dollars when the "baby" reached 65. Nice retirement package, huh? Except it won't work for several reasons completely obvious to anyone with common sense. Who pays that 6 percent interest? That's the first problem. The last time I checked, the rate wasn't anywhere near that. Bingo! Taxes on that money? Capital gains? The money would be tax exempt until the person began to draw upon it. Inflation? That's a BIG one! ~30 years ago, when I was entering the job market out of college, entry-level engineers with degrees were making about what *minimum wage* is now. Go back 50 years, and a $5000/yr income put the average person on Easy Street, able to support a middle-class family in a way that $50,000/yr won't do today. Even if inflation stays low over the next 65 years, $1 million won't be enough to retire on. What really matters, of course, is what I call "differential interest" - the difference between inflation and the apparent interest rate. If you get interest of 6% and inflation of 2%, your money is really only growing at a rate of 4%. Your going to have to have some sort of way that the guvmint pays interest on the account when the prime is low, or you will be creating a powerful incentive for citizens to want a high interest rate which is counterproductive to the economy......The list goes on and on. Yep. Also interesting how everyone in the US will retire a millionaire! Sounds good until the reality cuts in. There are lots of millionaires today - on paper anyway. Ain't gonna work! Yet that isn't some wild-eyed idea - it's something our alleged leadership has suggested! Hey yeah! The stock Market always goes up over the long term, right? Yep. Whether it keeps up with inflation is another issue. While that may be true, people keep applying it to irrelevant issues. This case is just one of using interest in a way that sounds good if you don't look too deep. By the way, did you know the producer of the "Swiftboat Veterns" is now producing smear videos and literature against the AARP? The same people they eagerly worked with a year or two earlier. The Swift Boat dude has been playing that game for decades. Never mind that lots of other vets, who served *with* Mr. Kerry, tell a completely different story. no shame, at long last, no shame. Didn't AARP lose membership for supporting Shrub's prescription plan? Consider these other problems: If there are, say, 4 million births per year, the govt. will need to put $8 billion into the accounts the first year, $16 billion the second year, $24 billion the third year, etc. This won't stabilize until the 18th year, when it reaches $144 billion per year being put aside in these accounts. Most of that money would have to come from *new* revenue sources, because the existing Social Security system would have to continue to exist for a while. And that's based on *no* increase in baby production! Where's all that money supposed to come from? Tax cuts. HAW! Then there's the question of shenanigans. Some people will try to beat the system in one way or another. More likely are govt. shenaningans - it will be hard for the pols to keep their paws off all that money in the accounts, just as they can't leave Social Security alone. Remember that the *real* problem with Social Security is that the current administration doesn't want to pay back what was borrowed! What's to keep them from "borrowing" from the new system? Nada. Yep. 73 de Jim, N2EY |
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Dave Heil wrote:
wrote: Michael Coslo wrote: wrote Michael Coslo wrote: Maybe PBS could do a special? Imagine if Ken Burns did a documentary on amateur radio... That could only be good. I've found the stuff done in the past by Dave Bell and Roy Neal to be lacking. A good historical narrative leading to the present and showing active hams doing what they do would be nice, especially if they leave out anyone wearing a tee-shirt or ballcap except perhaps in a Field Day scene. Joe Walsh and Patty Loveless.... Perhaps. Also, the "Amateur Radio in the 21st Century" paper equated passing the code test with winning the Tour de France or painting the Mona Lisa, Wow! now I feel really great about passing!!! ;^) I never got more of a buzz from passing a morse exam than I did when passing a tough chemistry exam. Ah, but passing the entire exam for obtaining a license opened a window to the world. Same here! Didja read that paper, and my rebuttal? No. "Amateur Radio In the 21st Century" can be viewed here http://gahleos.obarr.net/messages/0002.html A detailed rebuttal in three parts: http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...licy/msg/1f293 55163c4ed4e?dmode=source http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...licy/msg/a0bb6 7064e87e3d8?dmode=source http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...licy/msg/0fceb 52701a89334?dmode=source Funny you should mention that. the first time I took element 1... and flunked... I was not pleased, but Figured I'd do it again, the person who was the most upset was the VE. I felt worse for him than myself. Lessee...I was 14 and flunked 13 wpm the first go because the examiner couldn't read my longhand. What the sadistic IHM nuns called "Palmer Method", for some reason. You really wrote out the morse exam in longhand? Yep. That's all they taught in parochial school back then. You'd get whacked across the knunckles with a hardwood ruler for printing. So I went home and taught myself to block print and copy Morse in big square capital letters (a skill not taught in the parochial schools of the day) and came back some weeks later, when I passed easily. I started copying morse in block caps and it was an easy transition. I'd done most of my schoolwork in upper and lower case printing 'cuz the teachers had a rough time reading my left-handed scrawl. I stopped using longhand for anything when I got out of high school. Didja know the USA is now *importing* LNG from the Middle East and other places? We've been importing natural gas for decades. But not by ship! Ever hear of the "Big Inch" pipeline? Oyez. When I was a kid, there was a large part of South Philly devoted to the gas works, where coal was heated to make producer gas and stored in huge expandable tanks. The conversion to natural gas eliminated all that. Didn't AARP lose membership for supporting Shrub's prescription plan? They lost me before that. They sent me that crummy "My Generation" magazine about 50+ folks in denial over aging *and* AARP tried to represent me on issues where I took strong exception to their views. After three years of membership, I couldn't find a benefit to belonging. I just got membership literature from them...can't see any reason to join for the same reasons... 73 de Jim, N2EY |
Mike Coslo wrote:
wrote: Michael Coslo wrote: wrote Michael Coslo wrote: And I know some people in their 60's who have just bought a house. They may or may not finish their mortgage. My point is that a new demographic is emerging. It is one of a mature person who has decided to get into a hobby as they start to have a bit more leisure time. For myself, that started when I was in my mid-late 40's, as my son graduated high school and the travel hockey wound down. All that tends to free up the finances a bit also. I think that demographic has been around for at least 2-3 decades. But your point is well taken. And it has unforeseen effects, like driving the "average age" of US hams upwards. Local access TV may bring in a few folks, but not like network TV. Of course. But it would still be getting a message out. Maybe PBS could do a special? Imagine if Ken Burns did a documentary on amateur radio... Now your talking! hehe. 'zactly Yet the NCVEC folks say the solution is to create a class of ham that can't use rigs with more than 30 volts on the electronics... Goofy, goofy, goofy! Tell it to NCVEC. They think they know better than you. From what I gather, their underlying concern was actually that they think their VE's were having to work too hard. Perhaps. Also, the "Amateur Radio in the 21st Century" paper equated passing the code test with winning the Tour de France or painting the Mona Lisa, Wow! now I feel really great about passing!!! ;^) Didja read that paper, and my rebuttal? I read the paper (don't know if I should say *yawn* or *ick*. I didn't read your comment tho'. Please see the links I posted in my reply to K8MN earlier today. The NCVEC proposal is derived almost word-for-word from that paper. Interesting to note the mistakes in the paper and its 'we know better than you' tone from an author who *brags* he can't even pass the current tests! Makes the ARRL proposal look like a work of genius by comparison. and described the stress of dealing with grown people crying because they'd flunked the code test....boo-hoo.... Funny you should mention that. the first time I took element 1... and flunked... I was not pleased, but Figured I'd do it again, the person who was the most upset was the VE. I felt worse for him than myself. Lessee...I was 14 and flunked 13 wpm the first go because the examiner couldn't read my longhand. What the sadistic IHM nuns called "Palmer Method", for some reason. So you went to the catholic school at Our Lady of the Perpetual Responsibility, eh? Yep. Only they weren't so nice as Sister Arvonne Shrub says hydrogen is the answer. Oh the humanity. Hydrogen's energy density issues make for some problems. That Excursion will have to tack on another 10 miles per hour on trips to make up for all the fuel stops needed. Naw, just liquefy the stuff. Yoiks! Liquid H? Even if, the energy density is still quite a bit less than gasoline. something like 25 percent. Storage concerns are a big problem with the stuff. In a similar fashion We have Natural gas buses in our area. Their tanks are on the bus roof, and run the length of the bus. You just can't get as much energy out of the stuff. Didja know the USA is now *importing* LNG from the Middle East and other places? Ever stop to think about how much of that stuff used to be burned off at the well head as "useless"? One more Yoiks! Not useless, just not economically competitive to recover and transport at the time. The big problems a - Handling a fuel that is a gas at STP is more complex than one that is a liquid. - Danger of fire and leaking pressure tanks - Where's all the hydrogen supposed to come from? Yup. While seawater might seem like the obvious way out, hydrolysis of seawater produces interesting byproducts. Yep. Plus - where do you get the electricity to hydrolyze the seawater? I'm a big fan of nuclear energy, when it is done in a smart and safe way. And there are smart and safe ways to do it. The plants are obvious terror targets. The long term problem is the waste. One solution being explored in places like Australia is the solar tower concept. Uses desert land. Now tell the people in the western US that you want to take a huge amount of their fresh water!! 8^) It is in short enough supply as it is. Might as well develop electric cars... Welcome back to nuc energy! One thing I am adamant about is that we should never try to extract the energy needed to run our country from materials that humans need to support life. Biofuels such as corn based ethanol, and hydrogen taken from fresh water are big no-nos in my book. A point well taken! Hwoever, if fuels can be extracted from waste products (TDP, for example) that's a win-win. If we go down that road, we may some day have to choose between propulsive energy and human life. We already make that choice when we import oil from certain countries and turn a blind eye to what else they do. Like the way the Reagan administration and Shake Hands dealt with SH back in the '80s. You mean like dragging the gay marriage issue into the Social Security problem? 8^) Yep. The interesting thing is that allowing gay civil unions would *increase* tax revenue. And speaking of marriage: One thing I find interesting is that the divorce rates in the "red" states are consistently and clearly higher than the rates in "blue" states. Seems those folks who rant and rave about "family values" and "covenants" can't seem to stay hitched very long. All you have to do is meet some of the "reds", and you'll immediately understand why they have such a high divorce rate...... Ya gotta be more specific than that! hehe, when I think of the modern conservative, I keep getting this vision of Old man Newt. You mean the "family values" guy who had divorce papers served on his first wife (who had supported him through law school and the early struggles of his political career) while she was *in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment*? ah yes, you've heard of him? Yeah - nice guy, huh? NOT! "It's all about values" I notice he's being resurrected even now. Look up how many times Rush Limbaugh has been married... Here's the kind of thinking being put forth: One plan being suggested in DC is for the USA to create a special savings account for each baby born in the USA, starting on a certain date. The Feds would put $2000 into each account each year until the kid reaches 18. Total investment $36,000. Assuming about 6% annual interest, each account would be worth over a million dollars when the "baby" reached 65. Nice retirement package, huh? Except it won't work for several reasons completely obvious to anyone with common sense. Who pays that 6 percent interest? That's the first problem. The last time I checked, the rate wasn't anywhere near that. Bingo! Taxes on that money? Capital gains? The money would be tax exempt until the person began to draw upon it. Inflation? That's a BIG one! ~30 years ago, when I was entering the job market out of college, entry-level engineers with degrees were making about what *minimum wage* is now. Go back 50 years, and a $5000/yr income put the average person on Easy Street, able to support a middle-class family in a way that $50,000/yr won't do today. Even if inflation stays low over the next 65 years, $1 million won't be enough to retire on. What really matters, of course, is what I call "differential interest" - the difference between inflation and the apparent interest rate. If you get interest of 6% and inflation of 2%, your money is really only growing at a rate of 4%. Your going to have to have some sort of way that the guvmint pays interest on the account when the prime is low, or you will be creating a powerful incentive for citizens to want a high interest rate which is counterproductive to the economy......The list goes on and on. Yep. Also interesting how everyone in the US will retire a millionaire! Sounds good until the reality cuts in. There are lots of millionaires today - on paper anyway. Ain't gonna work! Yet that isn't some wild-eyed idea - it's something our alleged leadership has suggested! Hey yeah! The stock Market always goes up over the long term, right? Yep. Whether it keeps up with inflation is another issue. Even if it does, if you are using a market based system, the important part is what the market is doing right before you retire. Not really, unless you intend to pull all your money out the day you retire. While that may be true, people keep applying it to irrelevant issues. This case is just one of using interest in a way that sounds good if you don't look too deep. By the way, did you know the producer of the "Swiftboat Veterns" is now producing smear videos and literature against the AARP? The same people they eagerly worked with a year or two earlier. The Swift Boat dude has been playing that game for decades. Never mind that lots of other vets, who served *with* Mr. Kerry, tell a completely different story. no shame, at long last, no shame. Didn't AARP lose membership for supporting Shrub's prescription plan? Not sure.... Consider these other problems: If there are, say, 4 million births per year, the govt. will need to put $8 billion into the accounts the first year, $16 billion the second year, $24 billion the third year, etc. This won't stabilize until the 18th year, when it reaches $144 billion per year being put aside in these accounts. Most of that money would have to come from *new* revenue sources, because the existing Social Security system would have to continue to exist for a while. And that's based on *no* increase in baby production! Where's all that money supposed to come from? Tax cuts. HAW! Seriously, if we reduce the tax rate all problems will go away! Until tomorrow! 73 de Jim, N2EY |
wrote:
Dave Heil wrote: wrote: Michael Coslo wrote: wrote Michael Coslo wrote: Maybe PBS could do a special? Imagine if Ken Burns did a documentary on amateur radio... That could only be good. I've found the stuff done in the past by Dave Bell and Roy Neal to be lacking. A good historical narrative leading to the present and showing active hams doing what they do would be nice, especially if they leave out anyone wearing a tee-shirt or ballcap except perhaps in a Field Day scene. Joe Walsh and Patty Loveless.... Perhaps. Also, the "Amateur Radio in the 21st Century" paper equated passing the code test with winning the Tour de France or painting the Mona Lisa, Wow! now I feel really great about passing!!! ;^) I never got more of a buzz from passing a morse exam than I did when passing a tough chemistry exam. Ah, but passing the entire exam for obtaining a license opened a window to the world. Same here! Didja read that paper, and my rebuttal? No. "Amateur Radio In the 21st Century" can be viewed here http://gahleos.obarr.net/messages/0002.html A detailed rebuttal in three parts: http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...licy/msg/1f293 55163c4ed4e?dmode=source http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...licy/msg/a0bb6 7064e87e3d8?dmode=source http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...licy/msg/0fceb 52701a89334?dmode=source Jim, you gotta give tinyurl a try. Just go to http://www.tinyurl.com, and copy and and paste the long URL in the field provided, and it will make a tiny url for ya! Then put that in the message. All free - Mike KB3EIA - |
"Alun L. Palmer" wrote in message .. . wrote in oups.com: [snip] It's the classic case of a red herring diversion. Blame the code test for everyhting bad while the real problems are not addressed. 73 de Jim, N2EY It depends what you mean. Will repealing the code test provide a vast increase in numbers? No. Will it provide some increase? Yes. I'd say that's more like a maybe rather than a yes. Are there thousands of hams that could pass the General or Extra theory trapped above 30 MHz? Yes. There are no hams "trapped above 30Mhz. Will there be a large increase in HF use? Yes. That is also a maybe. If the code is dropped this year, many will buy the rigs and try it but may be sadly disappointed in the results since we are in the trough of the sunspot cycle and results are so often poor right now. They may not stick with it until conditions improve since they won't have the skills to participate in the second most used mode of shortwave communications. Dee D. Flint, N8UZE |
Mike Coslo wrote: wrote: Didja read that paper, and my rebuttal? No. "Amateur Radio In the 21st Century" can be viewed here http://gahleos.obarr.net/messages/0002.html A detailed rebuttal in three parts: http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...licy/msg/1f293 55163c4ed4e?dmode=source http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...licy/msg/a0bb6 7064e87e3d8?dmode=source http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...licy/msg/0fceb 52701a89334?dmode=source Jim, you gotta give tinyurl a try. Just go to http://www.tinyurl.com, and copy and and paste the long URL in the field provided, and it will make a tiny url for ya! Then put that in the message. All free Let's try this again: "Amateur Radio In the 21st Century" can be viewed he http://gahleos.obarr.net/messages/0002.html Or he http://tinyurl.com/695p6 My detailed rebuttal in three parts can be viewed too. Part 1 is he http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...e?dmode=source Or he http://tinyurl.com/6385t Part 2 is he http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...8?dmode=source Or he http://tinyurl.com/4uvd5 Part 3 is he http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...4?dmode=source Or he http://tinyurl.com/4kxah See what these folks think is needed for the future of amateur radio. 73 de Jim, N2EY |
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