I live in Armstrong County which is 6.25% I believe?  

Allegheny County which is Pittsburgh's county is 7.25% I believe, and Westmoreland County (which is between sort of to the left and below Allegheny) is around 7%.

Obviously, the further from a city you get the lower the tax rate generally.  

COL for Pittsburgh is generally low overall though, as opposed to a city like Chicago, LA, NY, and whatnot...  And it's voted the 2nd most beautiful place in the United States...  So there's some other benefits.  

I just got these yesterday, and I want to clarify a few things. They do have "some" articulation, but not much.
Standing: (6 points) neck, both arms, left wrist, 2 points at the waist-above and below the belt.
Kneeling: (6 points) all same points except it's the right wrist on this figure
Lying: (5 points) neck, both arms, right wrist, 1 point at the waist.

These are actually "OK"
A little dissappointing, but hey they are pretty cool for dioramas, NOT for "the ultimate white Clone" that we originally thought we were getting.
Hope this helps

Just a little update to the picture link...  Someone who says he owns the set says the figures are surprisingly sporting 5 or 6 points of articulation each.  not much, but it does improve them somewhat.

It at least leaves some customizing possibilities open for us anyway...  A simple single piece would've really REALLY lessened my opinion of these.  For $10 though, each figure should have a handful of articulation points to at least acheive SOME kind of variety in poses, and leave ya some decent parts to work with if you customize.

I've never sold on Ebay actually, just bought some.

I'd like to get back their cover prices though, and I just don't know that would happen on Ebay...  Then I'd just have a listing fee to pay.

I used to buy so many of the comics, but since the comic shop died out here I just don't collect them anymore.  Oddly enough my local grocery store gets them in regularly if I wanted to pick up the habit again.

I was thinking about this tonight because it's 4 a.m., I can't sleep, and I think I have a chemical imbalance.

Anyway, So we see the political climate in Episode One right?  It's a half-@$$ed democracy of sorts, where not only do individual planets have representation but also financial institutions, and Business organizations...  It's also likely that trade guilds and labor organizations have some say in the galactic political process as well.

At the same time, it's this obviously corrupt and very slow process that leads to a civil war.

The "Separatists", or Confederacy join together to form an independant government aside from the Republic.  The Republic doesn't want this...  The most "recent" event we can liken this to on Earth (That the majority of us reading/contributing to this topic can relate to anyway) is the U.S. Civil War...  The Confederate States of America seceeded from the United States of America over individual rights.

It's similar in a way...  

Now, we're led to believe the leaders of the Separatists are inheritly evil by Episode Two.  I don't necessarily BELIEVE they're all bad (Though I think it's established the Neimodians are).  EU has established several planets joining the secession as well who are leaving because they're genuinely fed up with the crap government handed them by the Republic.

OK, so by this we see that regime change was needed, right?  I mean, WE know the Republic was crap...  

Problems could abound in the Republic's world that we have no clue of...  We know the Naboo conflict was one issue, and thinking of it in Earth terms it's as if the whole of our world's population were overthrown by an invading force, with millions of casualties...  That's a mass issue.  That's the equivalent of World War 2 happening within a month or so, for an example.

That's ONE conflict out of who knows how many other civil wars, conflicts and other issues that can be directly blamed upon the Republic's very poor structure.

OK, so the "dark times" come...  The Clone Wars end, and the Empire takes over...  The Empire gives some "System's rights" up until the events of A New Hope we know, because it's not until the Death Star's completion that the Emperor dissolves the Senate.  

The Empire brings with it a change of rules I guess...  In some EU writing, the Empire's got some "fine points" set out that you cannot possibly get from movies that show it as 100% evil.  For instance the Empire sets up control on trade so that groups like the Trade Fed. cannot pull their blockade BS.  The Empire restricts arms trading, and expands space exploration/colonization.  The Empire takes a personal interest in every colonized world, either through small patrols or full garrisons.  The Empire attempts to curtail the "Scum" of the galaxy like Han Solo.  The Empire establishes training and schools.  In the game TIE Fighter, the Sepan Civil War (A system of human inhabited planets) is ceased by Imperial Intervention that's fair and just for both sides.  

Anyway, we all know the "bad" stuff that comes with Imperial control as well...  The slavery, Alien prejudice & human priority, martial control of the galaxy, mass propoganda, control of personal freedoms, etc...

Now, during the Empire's time, the another civil war breaks out...  Several planets ally with each other, much like the separatists did prior to the Clone Wars onset.  They title themselves "The Alliance to Restore the Republic".  Sounds better I guess.  The Alliance seems hunky dorry by the film's view, but what are they asking for?

Well if they're truly wishing to restore the Republic, are they wishing to restore it to how it was?  It was pretty darn crappy by my estimation...  So why would you WANT to restore it?  Would crime run rampant again?  Would political backstabbing the wheeling/deeling of politicians not take over once more?

What's so great about the Alliance other than they say the Emperor's a bad guy, and point out where he is bad?  

OK, so here's my question...  Which government do you want?  I'm going to request that you THINK of this as a human...  IE: Don't think "Well man I like wookies, and so I'd hate to be one in the Empire's reign"...  Just think of it like you're a human, though  having some sympathy is fine if that's what makes you choose the choice you do.

Alright, this is a goofy topic, I'm sorry...  Maybe it's just me, and stuff like this keeps my interest.    Feel free to ignore the topic all together if you find this 100% boring.

I'm thinking that I'm actually leaning towards the Empire...  I'm disheartened with the Republic after seeing the prequals.  The Empire sort of brings a "hope" the Republic didn't.  The only thing is, the Alliance is thinking idealisticly, and maybe they'd planned government changes to curtail political wrong-doings that ran rampant in the Old Republic.  I dunno...  

I'm a bit on the fence on the issue I guess.  If you've played TIE Fighter, you'd be on the fence too.  It's quite an interesting story, and after playing it (And reading some of the "Empire's Side" in various forms) you'd question this too I believe.

It's not out of the realm of possibility to get a new AT-ST some day...

It's a relatively small vehicle (especially for Star Wars), and thus its scale wouldn't be absurd.  

I agree the original sculpt is looking dated...  I'd take one with a joint at each point on the leg that it should have, an opening 2-seater cabin, and complete accuracy.  The viewports would open as would the top hatch, the gun turrets (And grenade turret) would tilt up and down, and the head would turn left/right...

I'd dump the "walking" feature all together though, for poseable legs/feet instead (with good/stiff joints).

To-scale with an accurate ROTJ paint job...

The modern version suffers from a few major issues besides being underscaled.  Namely it's based on the design of AT-ST's in ESB as opposed to those of ROTJ which are much closer/easier to make out.  Of course one could always say the ESB version's a different "type" of AT-ST all together.

We got a scale landspeeder out of left field, so I hold hope someday a new AT-ST floats out.  I'd buy at least SIX of the things (Standard flanking formation for an AT-AT).   **wink wink**  

Whose to say the name Skywalker isn't any more common than, say, Williams or Smith or Chin? I'm sure Vader wouldn't read too many applicant's papers until after they've proven themself worthy of being in his special squadrons.

Another thing to consider...  Other last names around the galaxy we know of aren't really "similar" to Luke's last name style...  For instance:

Veers
Ozzel
Piett
Tarkin
Solo
Antilles (x2)
Organa
Palpatine
Naberrie
Kenobi
Windu
etc...

Now, Skywalkers name is kind of like "Shoemaker" here on Earth...  You hear Shoemaker, and you know it's an English name immediately.  Skywalker, Darklighter, etc...  They seem to be a "native" style of name for Tatooine residents possibly.

If that's the case, the likelihood of it being a common name is slimmed down some.  It certainly seems like a Tatooine kinda thing to me then.  And at the very least, if Vader heard the name Skywalker, who blew up the death star, and who Vader himself said "the force is strong with this one", then there's some simple deduction that it's a force sensetive skywalker...

Tack onto that Obi-Wan sacrificing himself so these 3 young rebels and their droids could escape...  And the whole "glance" over at Luke...  Could Vader have put all this together?  Hell, maybe Obi-Wan was even thinking of Luke at the time (Seems he might have been) and Vader could sense/read that from him...  Maybe Obi WANTED Vader to find out about Luke...  Let him know there's someone out there who can turn the tide.

I've been sayin' for ages that they need to make a 4-pack of these...

Make 2 in black with the Saga head variations, and 2 in grey with the Saga head variations.  Pack in 2 blasters and 2 Scanner boxes.  

Voila, instant hot seller at barely any cost.

And the peasants rejoice.