# I Pit the North Carolina General Assembly **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 13, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272 "2013-05-13T23:30:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/21 "2013-05-16T22:20:59Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > Whenever I go to Maine on vacation, I always have to go to a supermarket to marvel at their liquor aisle. (Bow Street Market in Freeport has a liquor section that rivals my local ABC store.) Hell, wasn’t the Got to Be NC Festival launched because the giant anti-alcohol stick up Steve Troxler’s ass practically banned wineries from the State Fair? Try New Orleans. The liquor stores have **drive-thrus.** ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/22 "2013-05-16T22:42:53Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I grew up here too, and I’m not forgetting a jot or tittle of that. Jesse Helms, and I’m saying this very advisedly, **was not as crazy as these sumbitches**. He was terrible, yes, but he was a lot cannier than they are. Dude was a brilliant student of Macchiavelli. > > And the Dixiecrats? Also terrible, don’t get me wrong. But also **not this crazy**. What else are they doing? The descriptions in this thread aren’t that outrageous, compared to the nutty stuff going on everywhere. Democratic Governor Barnes proposed something very similar in the state of Georgia, but I just took it as an attempt to appease the dealers. I mean, we’re talking about a state that didnt have a limited access highway to connect the two sides of the state until, what, 1986? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/23 "2013-05-17T02:05:35Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > What else are they doing? The descriptions in this thread aren’t that outrageous, compared to the nutty stuff going on everywhere. Democratic Governor Barnes proposed something very similar in the state of Georgia, but I just took it as an attempt to appease the dealers. > > I mean, we’re talking about a state that didnt have a limited access highway to connect the two sides of the state until, what, 1986? The highway thing has nothing to do with insane politics. Indeed, my criticism of the roads is that we spent the nineties spending far too much on roads, and the DOT was rife with cronyism. Some things we’ve seen lately: -A bill to allow for a state religion. -A bill to outlaw Sharia law. -A bill to void federal court rulings. -A bill to create a state currency. -A bill requiring folks to take classes before they could get a divorce. -A bill allowing people without college degrees to teach at charter schools. -A bill that makes parents’ claim of their college kids as dependents for taxes contingent on those kids not casting ballots in the elections local to their college (a sneaky way to pressure college students not to vote). -And a lot of the sort of inside-politics stuff that I think is actually likely to pass, creating all sorts of much deeper problems than just making us look dumb. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/24 "2013-05-17T02:49:21Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > -A bill requiring folks to take classes before they could get a divorce. 😕 “Get a divorce”? Not, “Get married”?! ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/25 "2013-05-17T05:19:10Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Try New Orleans. The liquor stores have **drive-thrus.** Whoa. And I thought the “Baptist Wall” that was built alongside my hometown ABC store parking lot was as nifty as a liquor store could get. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/26 "2013-05-17T12:12:13Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The highway thing has nothing to do with insane politics. Indeed, my criticism of the roads is that we spent the nineties spending far too much on roads, and the DOT was rife with cronyism. > > Some things we’ve seen lately: > -A bill to allow for a state religion. > -A bill to outlaw Sharia law. > -A bill to void federal court rulings. > -A bill to create a state currency. > -A bill requiring folks to take classes before they could get a divorce. > -A bill allowing people without college degrees to teach at charter schools. > -A bill that makes parents’ claim of their college kids as dependents for taxes contingent on those kids not casting ballots in the elections local to their college (a sneaky way to pressure college students not to vote). > -And a lot of the sort of inside-politics stuff that I think is actually likely to pass, creating all sorts of much deeper problems than just making us look dumb. That’s some crazy stuff, but I take it none of it came to pass? I just think all politics at the state and local level contains a large amount of wackiness. None of it really surprises me. Also, NC certainly spent way too much money paving every cow path they could find in the 80s, leading everyone to conclude that it was a good road state. Meanwhile, we didn’t have a 4-lane road to the coast until, what, 1986? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/27 "2013-05-17T17:12:15Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 “Get a divorce”? Not, “Get married”?! Yup - It’s people getting divorces that’s the problem, not people getting into marriages that they should not be getting into. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/28 "2013-05-17T17:28:11Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > Whoa. And I thought the “Baptist Wall” that was built alongside my hometown ABC store parking lot was as nifty as a liquor store could get. 😃 Hey, what’s the difference between a Baptist and a Methodist? A Methodist will say “Hi!” at the liquor store! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/29 "2013-05-18T00:37:12Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 “Get a divorce”? Not, “Get married”?! Yup. They need to know how sad divorce is. Also a two year waiting period instead of one. > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > That’s some crazy stuff, but I take it none of it came to pass? I just think all politics at the state and local level contains a large amount of wackiness. None of it really surprises me. > Also, NC certainly spent way too much money paving every cow path they could find in the 80s, leading everyone to conclude that it was a good road state. Meanwhile, we didn’t have a 4-lane road to the coast until, what, 1986? I think you’re right on the highway thing, but I’m not sure, and I dunno how that compares to the rest of the country. As for the level of wackiness, it is a lot higher than in previous years I think. I suspect the divorce law, the college voter law, and the charter school law to go through. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/30 "2013-05-18T01:50:19Z")
I defer to you. My family still lives up there, but I’ve been gone for a while. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/31 "2013-05-18T07:06:39Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Hey, what’s the difference between a Baptist and a Methodist? > > A Methodist will say “Hi!” at the liquor store! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/32 "2013-05-18T10:08:50Z")
Edit: never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/33 "2013-05-18T15:06:31Z")
So if there are laws in 40+ states restricting direct sales of cars to consumers, how are people in most of these States buying Tesla cars, if Tesla lacks a dealer network? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/34 "2013-05-18T15:50:24Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > So if there are laws in 40+ states restricting direct sales of cars to consumers, how are people in most of these States buying Tesla cars, if Tesla lacks a dealer network? What makes you think the do buy them in those states? Remember, Tesla is only making a few thousand cars per year. Plus, most people who can afford a Tesla can afford to travel to another state and buy one if they really want. Not saying that is a the way it should be, but it is the way it is. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/35 "2013-05-18T16:08:10Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What makes you think the do buy them in those states? Remember, Tesla is only making a few thousand cars per year. > > Plus, most people who can afford a Tesla can afford to travel to another state and buy one if they really want. Not saying that is a the way it should be, but it is the way it is. So Tesla is outselling every other car in its class and only being sold in fewer than 10 states? If so that is impressive. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/36 "2013-05-18T16:15:10Z")
I wasn’t aware that there were any other cars in its class-- all electric sports cars. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/37 "2013-05-18T16:20:48Z")
What cars are in it’s class besides Fisker? ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/38 "2013-05-18T16:29:05Z")
I won’t quibble about what “class” Tesla is in, but they are outselling similar priced cars from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes. [Link](http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/13/autos/tesla-sales-bmw-mercedes-audi/index.html). That ain’t nothing, those are established brands in that price range, and in that price point sales of a few thousand is big money. Those are equivalently priced sedans from luxury manufacturers and Tesla is outselling all of them. A valid claim of being “best selling in its class.” ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/39 "2013-05-18T17:14:43Z")
I didn’t know Tesla was outselling all those cars. Pretty impressive for an upstart. I live in Silicon Valley and I do see alot of them, but then they’re built right down the road. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272/40 "2013-05-18T17:20:28Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Also, NC certainly spent way too much money paving every cow path they could find in the 80s, leading everyone to conclude that it was a **good road state**. Meanwhile, we didn’t have a 4-lane road to the coast until, what, 1986? Thanks for the laugh. I live in Asheville, whose water system has recently been stolen out from under us, and our roads are about 60+ years overdue for repaving, resurfacing, and any other re- that needs done. They won’t do it because it has to be done in the summer and that might inconvenience a Floridiot tourist. Let us not even speak of Malfunction Junction where I-26, I-40, and I-240 come together in a spaghetti bowl. Last I heard that won’t even be on the table for another 20 years. Meanwhile the General Assembly in Its Infinite Wisdom is more interested in the aforementioned water bill (our own legislator started that–thanks ever so!), worrying if a child might see a woman’s breast (:eek:), and making it even more inconvenient to get a divorce to do something about the state’s crumbling infrastructure. It’s like a fifth-grader’s revenge fantasy against those kids that always laughed at him in school up in Raleigh right now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-north-carolina-general-assembly/658272.md?page=3)