hmmm....grammar rules are not usually optional.
According to wikipedia the hyphens must appear:
Conventionally, and with the support of modern writing guides, compound modifiers that appear before a noun phrase must include a hyphen between each word, subject to certain exceptions. Hyphens are used in this way prevent confusion; without their use, a reader might interpret the words separately, rather than as a phrase. One or more hyphens join the relevant words into a single idea, a compound adjective.
I'll accept that few Americans know or use the rule, and certainly on an internet message board grammar rules are relaxed.
But I think this is a rule, not an option, and the NYT Style Guide is the best source of American usage.
If Klondike wants to say 'f you, this is an internet message board' then fine. But if we are defining a rule, I am right.