Neff Zone Column September 22, 2007

Print Edition: September 22, 2007

DID YOU KNOW?

If you pay attention while reading the newspaper it’s amazing what you can learn. These items can usually be tucked away in your brain’s "did you know" file so you can dazzle your friends and family with semi-useful information when they least expect it.

SPARE TIRES? Did you know that all passenger vehicles manufactured in 2006 or later must list the maximum weight (people and cargo) that it’s safe to carry? The federal formula is based on calculations that rate passengers at 150 pound each. A five-passenger vehicle is rated at 850 pounds maximum, meaning that if the five people in the car weight more than 170 pounds each the car is overloaded.

The limitations are on the "Tire and Loading Information" plate on the driver’s side door frame. Tire manufacturers note that exceeding the limit for a vehicle could be a factor in causing the tires to experience undue stress.

That’s why it’s important to know your vehicle’s weight capacity. Think how embarrassing would it be if your tires exploded while you and your buddies were in the drive-thru lane of the local Cholesterol Barn waiting to collect your Pachyderm Supersized Meal?

A PEACE OF THE FEDERAL PIE. Did you know there’s an International Peace Garden that straddles the border between North Dakota and Manitoba? Well, it has been there for 70 years and by all accounts it’s a beautiful tourist attraction, even though when most of us think "tourism" North Dakota isn’t on our "must see" list. I have a suspicion that "international" tourists might not have Dunseith, ND on their lists either.

Officials say it’s a symbol of peace between the two counties. Apparently without this symbol if tensions between the U.S. and Canada become too much to bear we could send the leaders of both countries to meet in North Dakota which would teach them a lesson and immediately end the hostilities.

It’s so vital to our national interests that $450,000 of earmarked political pork (your tax dollars) has been designated to enhance the garden, which is probably very lovely during the three days of summer in North Dakota each year.

I once wrote a magazine article about winter fun in North Dakota, an assignment I think was turned down by Hemingway and Steinbeck because they were not expert enough to come up with anything to write about the topic.

Part of the article dealt with cross country skiing in the Peace Garden. You can ski along the border, so I asked a Garden representative what was to stop a skier from crossing into Canada and then back into the U.S. I was told it was against the law. Since there are no guards or fences along this stretch of the border my reaction was "Ooooooo, I’m scared!" Geez, a thousand terrorists on snowmobiles could enter the country here and no one would even notice. Just what we need to do, spend another $450,000 to emphasize an unguarded point of entry into the country. Tax dollars well spent.

OVER AND UNDER. Speaking of borders, do you know what the price tag will be (again your tax dollars) for the proposed 700-mile fence between the U.S. and Mexico? Based on today’s dollars and estimates we all know are largely fictitious (because in reality they are always several times more than predicted), each mile of fence will cost $70 million over the next 25 years. Based on a fence already in place near San Diego the maintenance costs right now are $8.3 million per mile per year, mainly to employ legions of welders and construction crews.

Why the high maintenance costs? First, four feet have had to be added to the 12-foot fences because simple rope ladders were being used to climb over them. Second, new tools have been developed to saw holes in the fence. The latest? Illegals have figured out a "high tech" answer to fences – tunnels under them. Authorities have discovered 24 tunnels in San Diego alone.

As readers of this column know, I am all for stemming the tide of illegal immigrants (the key word being "illegal"). But unless we build a fence 50-feet high on top of concrete footings buried 50-feet below ground, the whole concept of a 700 mile fence seems like a classic boondoggle of epic proportions. At least if we put a moat around the country we could water ski on the water.

FELONY FOOTBALL UPDATE. Last week I promised to keep you updated on the case in Flint involving two student athletes who were serving jail time for felony home invasion but were allowed to play in a high school football game. As of Thursday, here’s the latest.

Flint’s superintendent of schools, upon reviewing the details of the situation, did not allow the two felons to play in last weekend’s game. The Southwestern athletic director was suspended for two weeks and the head football was suspended indefinitely.

Right now, the Flint schools are offering no further comment on the situation. However, some reports indicate that all parties have retained lawyers, so there will probably be more to come on this story in the future.

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Comments to neffzone@gmail.com. Read Neff Zone columns online at www.neffzone.com/cadillacnews.