[geeks] trader joes

[nate at portents.com]

> Quoth James Fogg ...
>
>> Besides, what socialist state would have no income tax, no
>> sales tax, no
>> seat belt law, no helmet law, no requirement for auto
>> insurance and allow fireworks?
>
> All politics aside, if NH has no income tax and no sales tax, how does the
> state fund its government?

NH gets a lot of money from the businesses located there, and by having no
sales tax, they are able to attract many shoppers from MA, VT, and ME
(very large conglomerations of malls and retails businesses are located
off the highway near the borders of those states).  If MA, VT, and ME were
to establish a 1-mile no sales tax zone at their borders with NH and were
successful in building up retail locations in those no-tax borders, it
would bankrupt NH.  (Take away the NH socialist alcohol laws, and it
definitely would.)  I actually think the idea that NH could or even does
exist as a separate entity from the surrounding states as kind of funny.

To a large extent, I actually agree with the character Martin Blank
(played by John Cusack) from Grosse Pointe Blank when he says, "The idea
of governments, nations is public relations theory at this point," except
I would also extend that to states.

- Nate