I don't usually make resolutions, but when I do, I very much try to stick to them. It's been about two years since I've purchased a bottle of water for that very reason.

When I was a child in that age group (about 15 years ago), I got quite a bit of joy from Origami. Much like the Lego and K-Nex suggestions, it was something where you could start out with very simple designs, but as you got better, the designs could be more and more complex. Eventually, I started making my own designs, like many other posters did with their toys. The great thing about Origami, though, is that you can do it anytime, anywhere, so long as you have a simple sheet of paper. Or a leaf, or anything else flat and fold-able. Makes it easy to entertain yourself on the go, or to show friends something "real quick." The water balloons were awesome :)

Fair enough :) when looking at the big picture, you're absolutely right. Factoring in all levels of taxation, there's a lot more balance going on in terms of total tax owed.

The problem is, it's a matter of state-level taxation, and on a state level (in Washington), the taxation is regressive. In the past three years, I've made between $20,000 and $24,000/year, and I've never qualified for any state-level subsidies or breaks. So, as a working person in that bracket, in Washington, I pay a good five times as much of my personal income in taxes than my wealthier co-citizens.

Now, I don't personally feel like I'm being overtaxed. However, for a state to lean most heavily on it's poorest citizens for funding is just ridiculous. At the very least, it should be an even, proportionate contribution, and that's what this income tax intends to do. Plus, an income tax is just more sensible, as it only taxes the people who are actively making money in the first place.

Another poster (GayBliss) provided a link to an analysis of taxation in the states. Check out the results for Washington: http://www.itepnet.org/whopays3.pdf

People making $20,000 or less, at an average of $11,000/year income, pay about 17.3% in various taxes, whereas people making $537,000 or more, with an average income of about 1.7 million/year, pay 2.9% of income. My examples didn't have the exact figures, but this paper does.

One should never expect a source of tax revenue to disappear voluntarily, but still, it happens. For example, this income tax is replacing the B&O tax for small businesses in the state. In any case, I don't mind taxes, so long as I don't feel like the money is squandered. The problem with Democracy, especially when it comes to local governments, is that spending is subject to the whims of the people. Let's face it, people pretty much suck at managing their finances, so government waste is created.

I live in Seattle, which has a sales tax of about 10%. That tax system is unbalanced, as it causes the people who make the least amount of money to pay the highest proportion of their income.

Assuming that the lower class spends more or less all of what it makes, that sets up a good 10% tax on total income (more if they borrow; statistics show that on average, Americans spend more than they earn), whereas someone in the proposed income tax bracket of $200,000+ spends closer to 1-2% of total income on sales taxes. So there's a 10% tax on the $20,000-homeless crowd, and a 1-2% tax on the most well-to-do. Applying a 9% income tax to the upper bracket at least gets it close to an even 10% across the board.

But I'm playing devil's advocate here. I can't in good conscience support what amounts to a special tax on a minority group, even if that group is better off than I. Skipping the sales tax altogether and just putting a flat 10% income tax across the board would be the most appropriate, I think.

...everything from watch construction, to watch repair.

You seem to be assuming that every channel completely consumes all available bandwidth between itself and it's surrounding channels. http://www.csgnetwork.com/tvfreqtable.html It's tight, yes, but there are gaps. It's the gaps that are to be utilized.

They were. Washington is selling debt to the Federal Reserve at a stunning rate, and all will be well in a few days. Fixed that for ya ;)

Lol I did the same thing, with an emphasis on things that were less likely to be for sale, and more likely to be informative; news sites, local politics, etc.

http://www.google.com/ads/preferences/

If it's not WiFi, I would look at substance abuse. Caffeine produces pretty much all of those effects. I imagine young people are more susceptible to the side-effects, and I've read other articles mentioning quite a spike in caffeine poisoning in schools. I know my high school had products like UpShot (pretty much pure caffeine diluted in as little liquid as possible); there are caffeine candy bars, No Doz, any number of energy drinks and coffee. And these are things that are also largely unavailable in the home.

......that so many Slashdotters should cry foul at the suggestion of actually discussing the Constitution and it's meaning with your children. Isn't that kind of a good thing?

DRM is what was made to combat pirating. The solution: STOP PIRATING. And that oh-so-awful DRM will disappear. Publishers like EA wouldn't feel like they needed it if there weren't a problem to begin with. This whole arguement is as rediculous as being upset when a store decides to put an anti-theft tag on a shirt. If you don't play games all that often, then you probably don't mind waiting a few years for the price to drop to $10 or $20. If you just think that $50 is too much to spend on a game, then tough. Look at your expenses and find a way to make it happen, or find another hobby. But if you can afford to maintain a computer that can run the latest $50 games, then some disposable income, in the amount of hundreds, is clearly available to you. The real issue is the disassociation with what one is actually doing when pirating. It's stealing, plain and simple. The only difference is that instead of pocketing the toy and leaving the store, running the risk of being caught, you click the button and it's done. Stop cheating and they won't have to assume that everyone is cheating.

I know, let's all sue everyone and everything for anything bad that's ever happened to us! I remember stubbing my toe on a chair once. I was running, the toe broke. Now, I don't recall that chair coming with an owner's manual stating that broken toes may result from improper placement of chair. I'm thinking Target's got deep enough pockets to get me set financially for a few years. The emotional trauma, the countless things I COULD have done had I been able to walk and run properly that few weeks, but now will get the chance to do. What if that was my chance to meet a /.-reading wife? I grow weary of lawsuits against companies that took insufficient pre-emptive action against the stupidity of others.