View Full Version : Redneck engineering exam
minnesotasmith
03-25-2008, 06:51
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http://www.alpenacc.edu/faculty/rothed/images/acc_logo.gif (http://www.alpenacc.org/) Dan Rothe, Mathematics Instructor
Alpena Community Collegehttp://www.alpenacc.edu/faculty/rothed/_derived/home_cmp_blueprnt010_hbtn.gif (http://www.alpenacc.edu/faculty/rothed/) http://www.alpenacc.edu/faculty/rothed/_derived/up_cmp_blueprnt010_hbtn.gif (http://www.alpenacc.edu/faculty/rothed/math_jokes_and_quotes.htm)
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Redneck Engineering Exam
1. Calculate the smallest limb diameter on a persimmon tree that will support a 10-pound possum 8 inches from the trunk.
2. Which of the following cars will rust out the quickest when placed on blocks in your front yard? 66 Ford Fairlane, 69 Chevrolet Chevelle, 64 Pontiac GTO.
3. If your uncle builds a still that operates at a capacity of 20 gallons of shine per hour, how many car radiators are necessary to condense the product?
4. A pulpwood cutter has a chain saw that operates at 2700 rpm. The density of the pine trees in a plot to be harvested is 470 per acre. The plot is 2.3 acres in size. The average tree diameter is 14 inches. How many Budweiser Tallboys will it take to cut the trees?
5. If every old refrigerator in the state vented a charge of R-12 simultaneously, what would be the decrease in the ozone layer?
6. A front porch is constructed of 2x8 pine on 24-inch centers with a field rock foundation. The span is 8 feet and the porch length is 16 feet. The porch floor is 1 inch rough sawn pine. When the porch collapses, how many hound dogs will be killed?
7. A man owns a Tennessee house and 3.7 acres of land in a hollow with an average slope of 15%. The man has 5 children. Can each of the children place a mobile home on the man's land?
8. A 2-ton pulpwood truck is overloaded and proceeding 900 yards down a steep grade on a secondary road at 45 mph. The brakes fail. Given the average traffic loading of secondary roads, what are the chances that it will strike a vehicle that has a muffler?
9. A coalmine operates an NFPA Class 1, Division 2 Hazardous Area. The mine employs 120 miners per shift. A gas warning is issued at the beginning of 3rd shift. How many cartons of unfiltered Camels will be smoked during the shift?
10. At a reduction in gene pool variability rate of 7.5% per generation, how long will it take a town that has been bypassed by the interstate to breed a country-western singer?
Shepherd
03-25-2008, 07:12
Dat there is just wrong MS. Yep, its funny but thats just wrong. BTW I scored %100
Ron Haven
03-25-2008, 07:18
hmmmm! :eek:
Saw this a few years ago called the "West Virginia P.E. exam" (obviously not with the reference to Tennessee) :D
aaroniguana
03-25-2008, 08:23
I normally don't have a problem laughing at myself. In this instance I'm willing to make an exception.
budforester
03-25-2008, 10:42
How do I get my grade?
If I did good, will it increase my tax rebate?
vonfrick
03-25-2008, 11:31
just printed that out and ran it over to the physics teacher :D
leeki pole
03-25-2008, 11:38
Smitty, you're just jealous. Come on, admit it. You really want to be a redneck.:) Won't happen, though. :cool:
If I did good, will it increase my tax rebate?
Only the one coming from the C.S.A. :D
envirodiver
03-25-2008, 12:14
I'm thankin that I done reel good on this here test. I are an enginer. They stil won't let me drive a train though.
I'm proud, I thank I got all them question rite. So put me down for a hunderd and twenty. Same as my SAT score. I can't wait to tell uncle daddy
:banana
minnesotasmith
03-26-2008, 02:24
Smitty, you're just jealous. Come on, admit it. You really want to be a redneck.:) Won't happen, though. :cool:
Your last sentence is correct, anyway. ;)
My parents are unrelated and (still) married. I went to college and graduated. My one (previous) wife was unrelated to me. I have all my original teeth except wisdom and baby. I don't drink beer. I work with computers and lab equipment more than I do large wrenches or chainsaws, and have never earned my living in agriculture or a Jiffy Lube. I've traveled over 5 years outside the U.S. None of the diplomas on my wall say "Trucking Institute". Have never sported a beard that shouts "Mormon splinter sect in trailer park in rural Utah". I don't own any vehicles that don't run. I don't drink beer as a rule. I've never heard a single one of Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck if..." jokes that would apply to me. (Favorite one of the latter: "Your mother has been arrested for fistfighting at a high school sports event.".)
Nope, wouldn't make a redneck, and don't feel the lack. (Wouldn't make a good Crip or barrio-resident either, to be sure.)
I once did know exactly how many hay bales would fit on my truck (that was a Foxworthy line) but since I got a different truck now I don't know for sure. :D
Wise Old Owl
03-26-2008, 11:12
Brand new edition of...
You know you're a redneck when......
1. You take your dog for a walk and you both use the same tree.
2. You can entertain yourself for more than 15 minutes with a fly swatter.
3. Your boat has not left the driveway in 15 years.
4. You burn your yard rather than mow it.
5. You think "The Nutcracker" is a vice on the work bench
6. The Salvation Army declines your furniture.
7. You offer to give someone the shirt off your back and they don't want it.
8. You have the local taxidermist on speed dial.
9. You come back from the dump with more than you took.
10. You keep a can of Raid on the kitchen table.
11. Your wife can climb a tree faster than your cat.
12. Your grandmother has "ammo" on her Christmas list.
13. You keep flea and tick soap in the shower.
14. You've been involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog.
15. You go to the stock car races and don't need a program.
16. You know how many bales of hay your car will hold.
17. You have a rag for a gas cap.
18. Your house doesn't have curtains, but your truck does.
19. You wonder how service stations keep their rest-room's so clean ?
20. You can spit without opening your mouth.
21. You consider your license plate personalized because your father made
it
22. Your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand.
23. You have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say "Cool Whip" on
the side.
24. The biggest city you've ever been to is Wal-Mart.
25. Your working TV sits on top of your non-working TV.
26. You've used your ironing board as a buffet table.
27. A tornado hits your neighborhood and does $100,000 worth of
improvements.
28. You've used a toilet brush to scratch your back.
29. You missed your 5th grade graduation because you were on jury duty.
30. You think fast food is hitting a deer at 65.
envirodiver
03-26-2008, 15:08
If your your girlfriend has ever had her hairdo destroyed by a ceiling fan...you may be a redneck.
If you have more appliances on your front yard than you do in your house...you may be a redneck.
Ramble~On
03-26-2008, 15:22
Brand new edition of...
You know you're a redneck when......
1. You take your dog for a walk and you both use the same tree.
2. You can entertain yourself for more than 15 minutes with a fly swatter.
3. Your boat has not left the driveway in 15 years.
4. You burn your yard rather than mow it.
5. You think "The Nutcracker" is a vice on the work bench
6. The Salvation Army declines your furniture.
7. You offer to give someone the shirt off your back and they don't want it.
8. You have the local taxidermist on speed dial.
9. You come back from the dump with more than you took.
10. You keep a can of Raid on the kitchen table.
11. Your wife can climb a tree faster than your cat.
12. Your grandmother has "ammo" on her Christmas list.
13. You keep flea and tick soap in the shower.
14. You've been involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog.
15. You go to the stock car races and don't need a program.
16. You know how many bales of hay your car will hold.
17. You have a rag for a gas cap.
18. Your house doesn't have curtains, but your truck does.
19. You wonder how service stations keep their rest-room's so clean ?
20. You can spit without opening your mouth.
21. You consider your license plate personalized because your father made
it
22. Your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand.
23. You have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say "Cool Whip" on
the side.
24. The biggest city you've ever been to is Wal-Mart.
25. Your working TV sits on top of your non-working TV.
26. You've used your ironing board as a buffet table.
27. A tornado hits your neighborhood and does $100,000 worth of
improvements.
28. You've used a toilet brush to scratch your back.
29. You missed your 5th grade graduation because you were on jury duty.
30. You think fast food is hitting a deer at 65.
This here is the furst test I skored me a 100 on!
I'm celebrattin toonite!
This were a test weren't it ?
ah damn.
taildragger
03-26-2008, 20:17
Your last sentence is correct, anyway. ;)
My parents are unrelated and (still) married. I went to college and graduated. My one (previous) wife was unrelated to me. I have all my original teeth except wisdom and baby. I don't drink beer. I work with computers and lab equipment more than I do large wrenches or chainsaws, and have never earned my living in agriculture or a Jiffy Lube. I've traveled over 5 years outside the U.S. None of the diplomas on my wall say "Trucking Institute". Have never sported a beard that shouts "Mormon splinter sect in trailer park in rural Utah". I don't own any vehicles that don't run. I don't drink beer as a rule. I've never heard a single one of Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck if..." jokes that would apply to me. (Favorite one of the latter: "Your mother has been arrested for fistfighting at a high school sports event.".)
Nope, wouldn't make a redneck, and don't feel the lack. (Wouldn't make a good Crip or barrio-resident either, to be sure.)
Damn, I drink beer and had a jeep in the yard the tranny and transfer case (jeep had also just been rolled, so it was tractor yellow and john deer green in parts)
On the hay note though, what about anything else. Current rig has held 3600+lbs of gravel in the bed, the old rig (scrambler) didn't like it when I'd put more than a rick of wet wood in it, nor did it like the 30' sled....
smokymtnsteve
03-26-2008, 20:46
hows bout us artic hilbillys and slednecks?
taildragger
03-26-2008, 21:27
hows bout us artic hilbillys and slednecks?
Snownecks?
smokymtnsteve
03-26-2008, 21:42
Snownecks?
naw actually they call us slednecks,
It don't snow too much here in the interior of AK
Your last sentence is correct, anyway. ;)
My parents are unrelated and (still) married. I went to college and graduated. My one (previous) wife was unrelated to me. I have all my original teeth except wisdom and baby. I don't drink beer. I work with computers and lab equipment more than I do large wrenches or chainsaws, and have never earned my living in agriculture or a Jiffy Lube. I've traveled over 5 years outside the U.S. None of the diplomas on my wall say "Trucking Institute". Have never sported a beard that shouts "Mormon splinter sect in trailer park in rural Utah". I don't own any vehicles that don't run. I don't drink beer as a rule. I've never heard a single one of Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck if..." jokes that would apply to me. (Favorite one of the latter: "Your mother has been arrested for fistfighting at a high school sports event.".)
Nope, wouldn't make a redneck, and don't feel the lack. (Wouldn't make a good Crip or barrio-resident either, to be sure.)
hey ms, just remember that yankees come and visit, damn yankees come and stay and push their yankeeness on us fine southern folks. you think this sht is cute, but remember where you are and who you are around living here in ga. if you don't like it here, if you think us southern folks are simple rednecks, go back to where ever you came from! you have offended this southern boy that's proud to be a redneck, even if you are kidding, even if it is a joke. there's a bunch of fine people down here below the mason dixon line, people that would give you the shirt off of their back if you needed it. you should know that from hiking here, or have you learned absolutely nothing from your hiking experences? remember that a redneck gets the name from being a hard working individual, usually in fields with the sun beating down all day. agriculture is the backbone of America. if we didn't farm your azz wouldn't eat. i provide for you. you should thank the rednecks of America every day for the fortunate copious ammounts of food that are bestowed upon your table every day of your life, right after you thank God for letting us work, not poking fun. no more fresh veggies for you.
Lone Wolf
03-26-2008, 22:15
wetbacks. rednecks. same thing. hard working folks
vonfrick
03-26-2008, 23:25
damn, i drink more beer that all you put together, maybe i should move out of new england?
damn, i drink more beer that all you put together, maybe i should move out of new england?
Why? We need to keep our beer drinkers here.
taildragger
03-26-2008, 23:37
remember that a redneck gets the name from being a hard working individual, usually in fields with the sun beating down all day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain
My neck gets red from cuttin' brush and getting cords of wood, but I'll give the credit to the minors for the meaning.
minnesotasmith
03-27-2008, 00:30
wetbacks. rednecks. same thing. hard working folks
One belongs here, and one doesn't.
minnesotasmith
03-27-2008, 00:44
hey ms, just remember that yankees come and visit, damn yankees come and stay and push their yankeeness on us fine southern folks. you think this sht is cute, but remember where you are and who you are around living here in ga. if you don't like it here, if you think us southern folks are simple rednecks, go back to where ever you came from! you have offended this southern boy that's proud to be a redneck, even if you are kidding, even if it is a joke. there's a bunch of fine people down here below the mason dixon line, people that would give you the shirt off of their back if you needed it. you should know that from hiking here, or have you learned absolutely nothing from your hiking experences? remember that a redneck gets the name from being a hard working individual, usually in fields with the sun beating down all day. agriculture is the backbone of America. if we didn't farm your azz wouldn't eat. i provide for you. you should thank the rednecks of America every day for the fortunate copious ammounts of food that are bestowed upon your table every day of your life, right after you thank God for letting us work, not poking fun. no more fresh veggies for you.
1) My mother is 8th-generation Floridian. I have numerous ancestors through her that fought in the Civil War, some dying. (One was bayoneted to death by Federal troops while lying in a sickbed.) My considered belief is that the South was fully in the right in that war. While my father's side is Yankee, noone on his side fought in that war.
2) I have lived over half my life in the Deep South. The climate is my only problem with it. (I prefer cooler and dryer.) From better and more varied fruits and vegetables, to understanding there are indeed general inherent differences in people based in part on where they come from, to better tax and gun laws, I prefer Southern governments by far over Marxist/feminist/environut ones like the NE, California (heave), or urban Wisconsin/Chicago, whose leaders understand less about just/workable societies than did average U.S. 5th-graders a century ago.
3) That said, nothing justifies not doing basis daily care on one's teeth, keeping the junk picked up out of one's yard, doing preventive maintenance on machinery, reading books instead of watching television, keeping alcohol intake down to that within the budget, staying away from tobacco, remaining faithful to a spouse, limiting pets to a low number that don't make a racket/a mess/trespass, etc. These are lifestyle choices not really dependent upon money or education beyond the minimum any adult walking around loose should be able to follow. I don't have sympathy with people who knowingly make very poor decisions over a long period of time, and have consequent poor results. This certainly applies to rednecks as much as it does to inner-city types.
envirodiver
03-27-2008, 00:47
hows bout us artic hilbillys and slednecks?
Hey Bro Redneck is a state of mind, not a state of residence.
Welcome and proud
Jaybird62
03-27-2008, 00:58
One belongs here, and one doesn't.
Whoah there buddy..... I think in all fairness it is the redskins that probably really belong here.....Just sayin':eek:
minnesotasmith
03-27-2008, 01:47
Whoah there buddy..... I think in all fairness it is the redskins that probably really belong here.....Just sayin':eek:
They sauntered into a vacant country just after the last ice age ended 10,000 years ago, the same way European immigrants to South Africa did (running into Zulus moving south in the Transvaal).
Europeans took over the U.S. in part by war of conquest, but also in large part by moving into vacant land.
Much happened in the distant past to form nations that doesn't fit what is generally considered acceptable in civilized lands now. Going to inhabited countries where one is not legal nor wanted by the natives is one. The latter is a common argument against colonialism, as apt against Europeans in 1800s Africa as it is against Hispanics moving into the U.S. is now.
Jaybird62
03-27-2008, 01:49
They sauntered into a vacant country just after the last ice age ended 10,000 years ago, the same way European immigrants to South Africa did (running into Zulus moving south in the Transvaal).
Europeans took over the U.S. in part by war of conquest, but also in large part by moving into vacant land.
Much happened in the distant past to form nations that doesn't fit what is generally considered acceptable in civilized lands now. Going to inhabited countries where one is not legal nor wanted by the natives is one. The latter is a common argument against colonialism, as apt against Europeans in 1800s Africa as it is against Hispanics moving into the U.S. is now.
So THEY say......
While on our way to go snowshoeing on the first day of spring 2008, in the county I grew up in, the last house before the state forest proudly flew the Stars and Bars - albeit underneath the Stars and Stripes.
When I was growing up, someone around the corner from our house had the Stars and Bars painted on a Plymouth Satellite - BEFORE the "Dukes of Hazzard" was on TV! (If I remember right, during the TV run it was mostly on blocks in the front yard.)
I remember myself :eek: putting the working TV on top of the non-working TV. That was before I moved away - but just last year I put the working VCR on top of the non-working VCR (when my wife objected, I said I had to do that because the new VCR from Wal-Mart didn't have an RF generator and the black-and-white TV didn't have a video input so I had to use the tuner in the broken one to make it work...)
aaroniguana
03-27-2008, 10:18
There's a world of difference between migratory settlement and conquest/colonization. Just ask the Celts of Gaul and Albion.
Wait, the Romans slaughtered them all. Never mind.
My favorite Jeff Foxworthy line is "If you've ever been bitten on the genitals by a woodchuck, you might be a redneck". I think I mentally blocked his explanation of this.
Whoah there buddy..... I think in all fairness it is the redskins that probably really belong here.....Just sayin':eek:
A cowboy, an Indian and a black man were sitting around a campfire one night staring into the flames and reflecting on deep matters. The Indian finally spoke " once we were many, but now we are few." The black man was the next to comment and he added " once we were few, and now we are many." A little more time passed and the cowboy was moved to speak. He said "I guess we never did get around to playing cowboys and n*****s".
Guilty as charged
1) My mother is 8th-generation Floridian. I have numerous ancestors through her that fought in the Civil War, some dying. (One was bayoneted to death by Federal troops while lying in a sickbed.) My considered belief is that the South was fully in the right in that war. While my father's side is Yankee, noone on his side fought in that war.
2) I have lived over half my life in the Deep South. The climate is my only problem with it. (I prefer cooler and dryer.) From better and more varied fruits and vegetables, to understanding there are indeed general inherent differences in people based in part on where they come from, to better tax and gun laws, I prefer Southern governments by far over Marxist/feminist/environut ones like the NE, California (heave), or urban Wisconsin/Chicago, whose leaders understand less about just/workable societies than did average U.S. 5th-graders a century ago.
3) That said, nothing justifies not doing basis daily care on one's teeth, keeping the junk picked up out of one's yard, doing preventive maintenance on machinery, reading books instead of watching television, keeping alcohol intake down to that within the budget, staying away from tobacco, remaining faithful to a spouse, limiting pets to a low number that don't make a racket/a mess/trespass, etc. These are lifestyle choices not really dependent upon money or education beyond the minimum any adult walking around loose should be able to follow. I don't have sympathy with people who knowingly make very poor decisions over a long period of time, and have consequent poor results. This certainly applies to rednecks as much as it does to inner-city types.
1/2 yankee 1/2 floridian. dude, there is no hope for you, but it explains many things about how you present yourself in this here forum.
smokymtnsteve
03-27-2008, 20:49
U needa come to AK MS..lots of us wierdos up here
MS, you might appreciate parts of Pennsylvania north and west of the A.T. In many areas of Pa. outside the former mining districts there is much pride and much deep-seated conservatism. Now that primary season is in full swing there is much discussion of the "red T" counties. See here for map: http://nullspace2.blogspot.com/2008/03/pa-voter-registration.html Could even be a few jobs for geologists with deep gas drilling just starting.
http://www.alpenacc.edu/faculty/rothed/_derived/redneck_engineering_exam.htm_cmp_blueprnt010_bnr.g if
http://www.alpenacc.edu/faculty/rothed/images/acc_logo.gif (http://www.alpenacc.org/) Dan Rothe, Mathematics Instructor
Alpena Community Collegehttp://www.alpenacc.edu/faculty/rothed/_derived/home_cmp_blueprnt010_hbtn.gif (http://www.alpenacc.edu/faculty/rothed/) http://www.alpenacc.edu/faculty/rothed/_derived/up_cmp_blueprnt010_hbtn.gif (http://www.alpenacc.edu/faculty/rothed/math_jokes_and_quotes.htm)
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Redneck Engineering Exam
1. Calculate the smallest limb diameter on a persimmon tree that will support a 10-pound possum 8 inches from the trunk.
2. Which of the following cars will rust out the quickest when placed on blocks in your front yard? 66 Ford Fairlane, 69 Chevrolet Chevelle, 64 Pontiac GTO.
3. If your uncle builds a still that operates at a capacity of 20 gallons of shine per hour, how many car radiators are necessary to condense the product?
4. A pulpwood cutter has a chain saw that operates at 2700 rpm. The density of the pine trees in a plot to be harvested is 470 per acre. The plot is 2.3 acres in size. The average tree diameter is 14 inches. How many Budweiser Tallboys will it take to cut the trees?
5. If every old refrigerator in the state vented a charge of R-12 simultaneously, what would be the decrease in the ozone layer?
6. A front porch is constructed of 2x8 pine on 24-inch centers with a field rock foundation. The span is 8 feet and the porch length is 16 feet. The porch floor is 1 inch rough sawn pine. When the porch collapses, how many hound dogs will be killed?
7. A man owns a Tennessee house and 3.7 acres of land in a hollow with an average slope of 15%. The man has 5 children. Can each of the children place a mobile home on the man's land?
8. A 2-ton pulpwood truck is overloaded and proceeding 900 yards down a steep grade on a secondary road at 45 mph. The brakes fail. Given the average traffic loading of secondary roads, what are the chances that it will strike a vehicle that has a muffler?
9. A coalmine operates an NFPA Class 1, Division 2 Hazardous Area. The mine employs 120 miners per shift. A gas warning is issued at the beginning of 3rd shift. How many cartons of unfiltered Camels will be smoked during the shift?
10. At a reduction in gene pool variability rate of 7.5% per generation, how long will it take a town that has been bypassed by the interstate to breed a country-western singer?
Where's the answer key?
I'm having some trouble...
Oh well, I guess I don't qualify as a Red Neck Engineer
Not that I'm complaining
taildragger
03-27-2008, 22:56
Where's the answer key?
I'm having some trouble...
Oh well, I guess I don't qualify as a Red Neck Engineer
Not that I'm complaining
I think that you're avg mech e could pass this test, then again, maybe all the mech e's here are rednecks
I sent the original posting to a buddy of mine and he replied,
Not enough data in some of the questions. We need to know what Ma fed 'em for lunch, and if the hounds are black or yeller.
Just shoot the possum. You can starve waitin' for those things to fall off!
minnesotasmith
03-28-2008, 01:40
MS, you might appreciate parts of Pennsylvania north and west of the A.T. In many areas of Pa. outside the former mining districts there is much pride and much deep-seated conservatism. Now that primary season is in full swing there is much discussion of the "red T" counties. See here for map: http://nullspace2.blogspot.com/2008/03/pa-voter-registration.html Could even be a few jobs for geologists with deep gas drilling just starting.
However, PA has a state income tax, I believe. It's also too close to centers of Federal power and has more people than I care for (many of whom will turn into rioters and looters when welfare stops as the gov't increasingly goes broke). See Matthewski's posts on crime in his neighborhood in Philly; he could have been describing Detroit or the South Bronx IMO.
OTOH, AK has no income tax (a negative one, in fact, the PDF, particularly helpful for anyone raising a family). It has lots of room and natural resources, from oil and gas to coal, zinc, gold, and silver, plenty of fresh water and wood, to say nothing of hunting and fishing options. It is disconnected by land from the rest of the U.S., a prime indicator that it will probably be the first state to successfully secede, as the U.S. continues to decline (demographics, virtual end of nonmilitary hard good manufacturing, currency destruction, gov't bankruptcies, Peak Oil, etc.) In fact, its third largest politically party, the Alaska Independence Party, is explicitly secessionist, and has been strong enough in the past to elect a governor. (It's weaker right now, sadly.)
I believe that the Free State Project erred in selecting NH as its target state, that AK would have been a better choice, probably the best one. AK's main issues IMO are limited grain production and eventually being geographically too close to the Chinese Navy for safety, as the latter waxes and the U.S.N. inevitably continues waning. However, I suspect the PRC will find plenty else to move on, until such time as Peak Oil shuts down the nonnuclear part (e.g., most) of their navy as well, so AK may be safe long-term (for the next couple generations at least, which could be indefinitely).
smokymtnsteve
03-28-2008, 01:46
However, PA has a state income tax, I believe. It's also too close to centers of Federal power and has more people than I care for (many of whom will turn into rioters and looters when welfare stops as the gov't increasingly goes broke). See Matthewski's posts on crime in his neighborhood in Philly; he could have been describing Detroit or the South Bronx IMO.
OTOH, AK has no income tax (a negative one, in fact, the PDF, particularly helpful for anyone raising a family). It has lots of room and natural resources, from oil and gas to coal, zinc, gold, and silver, plenty of fresh water and wood, to say nothing of hunting and fishing options. It is disconnected by land from the rest of the U.S., a prime indicator that it will probably be the first state to successfully secede, as the U.S. continues to decline (demographics, virtual end of nonmilitary hard good manufacturing, currency destruction, gov't bankruptcies, Peak Oil, etc.) In fact, its third largest politically party, the Alaska Independence Party, is explicitly secessionist, and has been strong enough in the past to elect a governor. (It's weaker right now, sadly.)
I believe that the Free State Project erred in selecting NH as its target state, that AK would have been a better choice, probably the best one. AK's main issues IMO are limited grain production and eventually being geographically too close to the Chinese Navy for safety, as the latter waxes and the U.S.N. inevitably continues waning. However, I suspect the PRC will find plenty else to move on, until such time as Peak Oil shuts down the nonnuclear part (e.g., most) of their navy as well, so AK may be safe long-term (for the next couple generations at least, which could be indefinitely).
barley in excess...lots of bio-mass..
minnesotasmith
03-28-2008, 02:06
barley in excess...lots of bio-mass..
Like the rest of my analysis, though?
smokymtnsteve
03-28-2008, 02:09
Like the rest of my analysis, though?
PROUD TO BE ALASKAN!
Jaybird62
03-28-2008, 02:16
PROUD TO BE ALASKAN!
Man, I applaud you on your choice of home turf...
minnesotasmith
03-28-2008, 02:51
PROUD TO BE ALASKAN!
Is that a yes?
However, PA has a state income tax, I believe. It's also too close to centers of Federal power and has more people than I care for (many of whom will turn into rioters and looters when welfare stops as the gov't increasingly goes broke). See Matthewski's posts on crime in his neighborhood in Philly; he could have been describing Detroit or the South Bronx IMO.
There is a state income tax but it's a flat tax. Due to Pennsylvania's geology there are many functionally isolated areas within the vague rectangle and you can be pretty damned far from Philadelphia and DC. In many of these types of areas, crime, even vandalism, is nonexistent. One Congressional district (where the deep gas drilling will be starting) is the 2nd largest east of the Mississippi, and includes more miles of I-80 than any other. In that zone, property taxes are relatively low compared to bordering states; school districts (typically smaller than county size, in PA) in that area focus on the three R's rather than sports. My wife grew up at a location in PA 20 miles from the post office and 25 from the high school; the school district actually arranged for them to attend high school in MD because that school (second smallest in MD) was closer; then the MD county (poorest in MD) closed that school and now her cousins have to make the 25 mile trip; there's people who live 5 miles further out. Even the university town (State College) is much more conservative than other state university towns. Judging all of PA based on Philadelphia, or even Duncannon and Port Clinton, is to miss quite a lot. (And I'm not even from PA - I'm actually from NY State but near the PA border - my mother taught 1st grade and led her students in prayer 20 years after it was "outlawed" and no one in THAT community complained...)
minnesotasmith
03-30-2008, 17:53
http://www.dailynews.com/editorial/ci_8738385
sofaking
03-30-2008, 19:00
However, PA has a state income tax, I believe. It's also too close to centers of Federal power and has more people than I care for (many of whom will turn into rioters and looters when welfare stops as the gov't increasingly goes broke). See Matthewski's posts on crime in his neighborhood in Philly; he could have been describing Detroit or the South Bronx IMO.
OTOH, AK has no income tax (a negative one, in fact, the PDF, particularly helpful for anyone raising a family). It has lots of room and natural resources, from oil and gas to coal, zinc, gold, and silver, plenty of fresh water and wood, to say nothing of hunting and fishing options. It is disconnected by land from the rest of the U.S., a prime indicator that it will probably be the first state to successfully secede, as the U.S. continues to decline (demographics, virtual end of nonmilitary hard good manufacturing, currency destruction, gov't bankruptcies, Peak Oil, etc.) In fact, its third largest politically party, the Alaska Independence Party, is explicitly secessionist, and has been strong enough in the past to elect a governor. (It's weaker right now, sadly.)
I believe that the Free State Project erred in selecting NH as its target state, that AK would have been a better choice, probably the best one. AK's main issues IMO are limited grain production and eventually being geographically too close to the Chinese Navy for safety, as the latter waxes and the U.S.N. inevitably continues waning. However, I suspect the PRC will find plenty else to move on, until such time as Peak Oil shuts down the nonnuclear part (e.g., most) of their navy as well, so AK may be safe long-term (for the next couple generations at least, which could be indefinitely).
i'm going to guess you enjoy reading tom clancy novels...:-?
minnesotasmith
03-30-2008, 19:09
i'm going to guess you enjoy reading tom clancy novels...:-?
More science, technology, geography, and history (the non-PC kind).
Classic book for anyone with an interest in the subject I broached:
http://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Relocation-Joel-Skousen/dp/156861053X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206914841&sr=1-1
Patrickjd9
03-30-2008, 23:31
The Bronx engineering exam of my childhood would have quite a bit in common:
Subjects would include trash scavenging, stealing beer, building materials, or electricity, finding temporary quarters in apartment building basements, repair of sedans consisting mostly of Bondo and congealed rust, sanding ragged vinyl roofs from said sedans, and building zip guns.
... repair of sedans consisting mostly of Bondo and congealed rust, sanding ragged vinyl roofs from said sedans...
That "fun" extends to New York State's section of Appalachia, where a lot more will pass inspection than just over the hill in PA. In the county where I grew up, a back road dealer advertised "Good Penna. Used Cars for Sale" meaning they wouldn't pass for rust in PA but had several more years left for NY. I myself drove vehicles with floor pans rusted out that passed NY inspection. Then I moved to Iowa with no inspection at all and thought I was in heaven! :D
Patrickjd9
03-31-2008, 23:08
I recall my father getting cars "inspected" in New York without ever driving them beyond the gas pumps. :p
Yes, there was plywood under the carpets...
You'd probably marry your first cousin is she was in her 20's, looked at you twice and was biologically humming. :p