North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering • Hacker News Board

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#341

Post by hef19898 » Sun, Jun 20, 2021, 2:28 AM UTC

jandrese wrote: post #332

Swenrekcah wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> e.g. some distracted guy on his cell phone accidentially rushing out in front of some car, getting killed in the process and traumatizing some driver I think this comment demonstrates the perverse value system I’m commenting against. I don’t mean this as an insult to you, merely to point out how people have been programmed to think people shouldn’t be able to live in a city without being terrified of their lives so…

Jaywalking is also the crime when the person is walking across the Autobahn wearing all black at night in a rainstorm.

Citation please.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#342

Post by ineedasername » Sun, Jun 20, 2021, 2:30 AM UTC

systemvoltage wrote: post #123

travisjungroth wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The worst example of this is Oregon has their own version of the FAA. It’s grandfathered in because it was established before the FAA. You pay $12 a year for an Oregon pilot’s registration. And in return for this bureaucracy, society gets... nothing.

Oregon’s gas pumping laws has some hilarious justifications. > “The dangers of crime and slick surfaces described in subsection (3) of this section are enhanced because Oregon’s weather is uniquely adverse, causing wet pavement and reduced visibility” More here: https://medium.com/policy-northwest/the-insanity-of-oregons-... Safety is important but wet pavements are also a hazard when you leave your house or literall…

NJ is similar. Always hilarious to see the contortions of logic used to explain why roughly 95% of the population-- and any NJ & Oregon resident who leaves the state-- is fully capable of pumping gas, but anyone in these states suddenly become unable to do so.

Heck when traveling through NJ and there was a single attendant at a busy station, I got out and pumped my own gas. No one cared.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#343

Post by ineedasername » Sun, Jun 20, 2021, 2:36 AM UTC

irrational wrote: post #167

systemvoltage wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oregon’s gas pumping laws has some hilarious justifications. > “The dangers of crime and slick surfaces described in subsection (3) of this section are enhanced because Oregon’s weather is uniquely adverse, causing wet pavement and reduced visibility” More here: https://medium.com/policy-northwest/the-insanity-of-oregons-... Safety is important but wet pavements are also a hazard when you leave your house or literall…

I live in Oregon, but grew up outside the state so fortunately I do know how to pump my own gas. One thing that has fascinated me is that our gas is no more expensive, and often cheaper, than surrounding states despite providing many jobs. One benefit of this system was shown recently when no truck beds or plastic bags were filled with gasoline.

It may be cheaper than elsewhere because of the close proximity to Washington's large refining capacity, from which Oregon gets most of it's supply. It's the same with certain areas on the east coast.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#344

Post by ineedasername » Sun, Jun 20, 2021, 2:39 AM UTC

brewdad wrote: post #223

cloverich wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But they are paid from some other budget, or perhaps from state income taxes. That has a real effect on something, it’s just not apparent what. Any job that only exists via mandate is taking the place of some other economic activity.

They are paid by the station owners, so the money reduces their profits and perhaps long-term investments in new pumps or other equipment. In reality, the soda and candy inside probably all costs 10 cents more than it otherwise would. One consequence is that our state gas tax hasn't been raised in decades. That's why our gas is cheaper than across the border in WA. They pay a much higher per gallon tax than we do. My…

"candy and soda inside"

I'd estimate that only a small proportion of stations in NJ are attached to any convenience stores that sell things. On highways, yes. Off of highways around towns, they're often attached to a mechanic's garage, and the only things sold beside gas is windshield fluid and a spare quart of oil.

It's notable that NJ and Oregon both have cheap gas relative to many other parts of the country due to close proximity with oil refining &/or transportation infrastructure, which means lower costs to get it to the gas stations.

Although in NJ that discount is slowly going away as the state gradually ratchets up tax on gas purchases. Without that tax they would have by far the cheapest in the country by roughly 16% or $.50/gallon. Now NJ is only cheaper than most when there's a spike in oil prices stemming more from transportation costs, or at least that's what I've observed.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#345

Post by crooked-v » Sun, Jun 20, 2021, 2:41 AM UTC

geoduck14 wrote: post #307

Swenrekcah wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> e.g. some distracted guy on his cell phone accidentially rushing out in front of some car, getting killed in the process and traumatizing some driver I think this comment demonstrates the perverse value system I’m commenting against. I don’t mean this as an insult to you, merely to point out how people have been programmed to think people shouldn’t be able to live in a city without being terrified of their lives so…

> Cars have no business driving faster than 15-20mph on a city steet. Where do you live where you think it is reasonable to set a speed limit below 35 mph?

91% of the streets in Portland have a speed limit of 30 mph or less.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#346

Post by ineedasername » Sun, Jun 20, 2021, 2:53 AM UTC

briffle wrote: post #249

irrational wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in Oregon, but grew up outside the state so fortunately I do know how to pump my own gas. One thing that has fascinated me is that our gas is no more expensive, and often cheaper, than surrounding states despite providing many jobs. One benefit of this system was shown recently when no truck beds or plastic bags were filled with gasoline.

I have had other customers in Oregon very, very loud and angry about me getting out and running the pump myself. They immediately dismiss my statement that it’s perfectly legal for us to dispense diesel, just not gasoline, until an employee usually tells them it’s legal and they appreciate it.

Well, it's diesel. Any idiot can operate a diesel pump. So you're talking apples to, well I guess just a very slightly different type of apple.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#347

Post by ineedasername » Sun, Jun 20, 2021, 2:58 AM UTC

ddingus wrote: post #327

sonofhans wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, that gas-pumping law comes up for vote every few years, and each time it’s re-approved. For the most part, people like it.

Personally, I love it and will vote to continue it every time. Do not mind if it is a jobs program. People need the work. Rain sucks. Handling gas sucks. I get to catch up on a text, queue a show up for driving and pretty much never mind a wait.

queue a show up for driving

shouldn't you not be watching shows while driving? Or do you mean podcasts or something?

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#348

Post by perl4ever » Sun, Jun 20, 2021, 3:02 AM UTC

retromario wrote: post #301

marcus_holmes wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find the handing over of personal responsibility for my safety to be alarming. If I'm about to cross the road, I am perfectly capable of deciding when it's safe or not. If the light is red but there's no traffic, it's safe to cross. If I'm standing at a crossing and the light is green, meaning that I can walk, but there's a car out of control heading down the road (or an ambulance with its sirens on, etc) then it's…

The other points are fine, but a 3 or 4-year old does not understand nuance or personal responsibility. I think that in general German society encourages a strong sense of personality responsibility as part of developing healthy children and adults, so kind of a weird thing to pick on. Personally I jaywalk when it's safe and no kids are around.

Is it jaywalking when you're not stepping in front of a car?

When I hear the word, I tend to think of people who take for granted that a car will stop for them and probably even conspicuously turn away from it.

I don't think of it as meaning "crossing the street where there is no marked crosswalk" absent traffic, or "crossing the street at an intersection" even if there is no marking and someone who wants to make a turn.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#349

Post by ClumsyPilot » Sun, Jun 20, 2021, 3:10 AM UTC

comicjk wrote: post #104

ReptileMan wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is literally MO of every totalitarian government - make it impossible to not be a law breaker, so we can arrest you at anytime.

I don't think that's necessarily true. This is a trick for working around the rule of law, but totalitarian governments don't need that subtlety. They have dummy courts and full control over what's legal. To take the most extreme example, Nazis didn't pass harsh jaywalking laws and then use them on Jews; they actively made laws against Jews.

Even the most tyranical regimes can not blatantly declare the ruler god-emperor like Egyptian Pharoes, that just wouldn't fly - they keep up the appearences one way or the other.

Soviet Union still felt the need to hold elections and have laws, China officials were removed using charges of corruption, etc.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#350

Post by ineedasername » Sun, Jun 20, 2021, 3:13 AM UTC

beebeepka wrote: post #81

travisjungroth wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The worst example of this is Oregon has their own version of the FAA. It’s grandfathered in because it was established before the FAA. You pay $12 a year for an Oregon pilot’s registration. And in return for this bureaucracy, society gets... nothing.

Does it not create jobs? Not saying it's good nor bad.

Some quick searching showed there are about 10,000 gas station attendant jobs in NJ.

So we could take 5,000 of them and have them dig holes all day. And the other 5,000 could fill in the holes on the following days. That's about as productive.

Or, if we're viewing it purely as a jobs program, find meaningful work, even if it was just patrolling the town they would have pumped gas in & instead picking up any and every piece of litter and garbage they see, documenting potholes they see in the road or loose branches around power lines for the town's DPW to deal with proactively.