Robin's Commentary--
I just returned from visiting my best friend in North Dakota, which by the way, is the first time in 30 years that I have left the state, not to mention the furthest that have ever been from home and I have to admit, crossing Washington state, Idaho and Montana was an interesting experience.
One of the first things that I noticed right off as soon as I left Oregon, was the speed limit on the interstate, the slowest being 70 miles an hour in Washington state while the other states it was common to see 75 miles an hour as the speed limit.
The other thing that I noticed that was weird at first was the self-service gasoline.
Since I have lived in Oregon the majority of my life, this was scary at first however; I quickly took a liking to it. Not only was it faster to pull into a station and use my debit card without having to wait for an attendance, (or worrying that somebody's going to break my gas door again) it was especially convenient when I was low on fuel at 1 a.m. and was still able to buy gas. Apparently, it is not uncommon for stations to leave the pumps turned on after-hours.
I recall that several times in Oregon's history, the issue about self-service came up with the proponents claiming that it will reduce the cost of gasoline by reducing labor. While I will argue with that point, apparently, one big problem with self-service is what is known as "gas and run."
Each of the states that I went through had a warning on the pumps about the penalties for "gas and run." Montana for example warns that you will lose your license, while the other states warned that they would prosecute offenders severely.
So comparably based on my four state visit, Oregon seems kind of "wimpy" especially regarding the speed limit.
9 comments:
You should travel more. Isolation explains many of the ideas you have about the world. Turn off Lars and travel the world a decide for yourself.
I will second that.
The world is much bigger than Oregon.
Oh, and not all states allow "un attended" gas pumps, even if you can pump it yourself.
And in New Jersey it is illegal to pump your own fuel as well.
But I switched to using Biodiesel and I have pumped my own fuel for 3 years now. :)
Welcome back.
I still drive into Washington and sit and wait for the attendant to come out.
That can generate some "stupid"!
Oh, and I've traveled all over the world and I find myself mystified as to how world travel makes for differences in right thinking. If anything, I've come home loving this country even more!
"gas and run" is never an issue with self serve when you have to run your card before you can pump!
the only real argument for no self serve is that it forces stations to hire attendants, and most of the attendants are people who would otherwise be on welfare rolls. it's a social program, nothing more.
however, the legislature won't admit that, so they come up with a bunch of "findings" that say gasoline is so dangerous and explosive and bad for the environment that only specially trained professionals should be allowed to dispense it.
funny thing is, if you have are a state employee and take a vehicle from the motor pool, you are supposed to fill it with fuel (sometimes propane even!) yourself at the facility -- but no state employee has ever had special fuel HAZMAT training.
The last time this came up in the legislature, back in 2005, the then GOP House shot it down. Jeff Kropf, who is usually good about free market and no regulation, actually whined on the floor that, if we allowed self-serve, the full service gas stations would all go away and his elderly grandmother would have to risk her health and safety pumping gas in the cold rain. I'm surprised he didn't go on to say "and there will be wolves coming at her from out of the darkness."
pathetic.
(yes, I spent about 30 of my many years in other states where normal people pump gas, the prices are lower, the lines are shorter, and you can be in and out of the station in less time that it takes for the attendant here to make his way to your car)
Oregon is anything but wimpy. Other states are behind oregon in many many many ways. Oregon is a brave trailblazer... dont take it for granted.
I have been to every state except Louisiana and Oddly enough Portland is my favorite city yet.
I still have much more to see to really know if it is my favorite... but wow... its great.
Welcome back, you have been missed.
Hope your vacation was fun.
welcome home, Robin. Road trips are the BEST!
Ah, yes, all the things that make Oregon 'undesirable' - I LOVE THEM! High property taxes, low speed limits, clean water, no sales tax and not having to pump my gas in the cold, dark rain. These are the things that keep our state from being over run. It also keeps me here. I have traveled the world and only a few places appeal to me more than Oregon.
I still like to travel but my favorite place to call home is whimpy Oregon.
I'm with you Robin; I am so tired of backwards Oregon I could vomit. I traveled to Boston this summer and realized just how narrow minded and ignorant Oregon is. I was lucky enough to fly with stops in other states and I got to see every color of the human rainbow and hear languages that were beautiful. Those languages were spoken by all the colors.
That’s a huge difference over Oregon. Here we have few colors and the only language you hear other than English is mexican (there is a difference between Spanish and mexican).
I learned that in other states, customer service still exists! Because of the minimum wage laws in Oregon, servers have an odd view of tips. They expect them while at the same time, seeing them as a bonus. In other states servers are paid a few bucks an hour and survive on tips. They have to offer service or they go hungry. Gas stations will always have attendants because of Americans with Disabilities Act.
Just like we are required to have brail writing on drive thru ATM's, we will have to have attendants to service those that have difficulty with their ability to move outside the car.
What I learned most about Oregon is how much I dislike it and want to leave.
It is a beautiful state. Green everywhere, hills and mountains, coastal beaches and desert within a few hours drive. The topography and elevation create a beautiful state.
Then there are the politics that aim to destroy the livability and sustainability of the state.
Why DEQ in only a small part of the state for motor vehicles? How many of these tree huggers refuse to maintain the vehicle they drive to protect the air quality? How do they dispose of all those bicycle tires that wear out? And how about that nasty oil they cover themselves in to mix with the smell of body odor and pot smoke? If that isn’t an environmental catastrophe, I don’t know what is.
Oregonians are ignorant, arrogant and unfriendly compared to the states I have visited.
Yeah, if it wasn’t for my wife and her business, I would be out of here and living in the Midwest or the south.
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