Some good always comes out of a good debate! Truth is I just like a good discussion and when the person on the other side can hold his own, like yourself, I enjoy it even more!!
The last thing to remember is that those tires are made to accept weights in this manner. They come from the factory with weights on the outside. Some manufacturers have wised up to this and have wheels without lips on the outside so that tape weights have to be used! The tire guys are just doing what the manufacturer has given them the ability to due!
My point about the "bad" is that its always my mechanic screwed this up. More often than not its not "their" mechanic but some guy down the road that has a garage that was convenient to pull into when there was a problem. Not knowing the full credentials of the business or the people under the hood or even knowledge of what needs to be repaired they are all to eager to pull the trigger and have them fix it right away. Only to find out that just because they have a garage doesn't mean they are a reputable business, just because its a national chain doesn't mean its better, and just because the guy under the hood has a tool box full of the best tools doesn't make him a mechanic/technician. Don't even get me started about the "how much they charged me, there a rip off" discussion.
Truth is waiting until there is a problem to find a good reputable shop is the worst time!!
Its been good talkin to you SLO!!!