Spike Jones wrote:
> Webb_S wrote:
>
> > Fortunately I've visited many other MA
> > communities that seem like delightful places to live.
>
> massachusetts is the only state ive ever been in where
> they have toll booths on the interstate highway. whats
> that about? didnt we already pay for those roads?
Those particular roads were only partially paid for by taxpayer dollars. We have toll booths up here in NH too, but only two main ones plus a few on the exits in between. It pays for the cost of maintaining the roads (unlike california, we have this pesky problem in the winter called snow...). It helps prevent the further increase in the gas tax.
> i was about an hour northwest of boston on business. there
> was no place to buy anything! no walmarts, no fry's
> electronics, nothing. just all these dippy little mom and
> pop joints, selling who knows what. antiques, i guess.
> i dont know what you do if you want to buy computer
> books or hardware or cds or even a cell phone. seems like any
> extropian would suffer miserably in such a place. are
> any of you from up there? how do you cope? {8^D spike
An hour northwest? That would be either west of Lowell, towards Groton, or up around Concord NH, depending on what highway you were going northwest on. We have a few Walmarts, and actually between the NH border and Concord there are some spectacular malls. We do like to keep the sprawl of LosAngelization out of our state though, but since we have no sales tax, the flatlanders love to come up here shopping. We even have two state liquor stores right off the highway north of the border (they are the only thing you can go to from the exit ramps).... a lot of traffic from Massachusetts to save on sales tax there too.
Actually, a Walmart is being finished in West Lebanon, which is part of my hometown here. There's also lots of malls right there too, as its right on the Vermont border, and the Vermonters love to come shopping here too.
Mike Lorrey