Article

2013-01-30 Economy

North Dakota struggles to cope with its oil-boom prosperity

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Posted by Fred 2013-01-30 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 30 years ago I'd be putting a fresh coat of paint on my wagon.

Posted by Shipman 2013-01-30 05:16|| 2013-01-30 05:16|| Front Page Top

#2 Who writes this shit?

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2013-01-30 06:41|| 2013-01-30 06:41|| Front Page Top

#3 Author was one of Fred's cub reporters at the Times-Picayune. When she finds herself a handsome, Okie roustabout, she'll probably come around. I'll give her the benefit.

Pam Louwagie writes about various topics around the five-state region. A Star Tribune reporter since 2001, she has worked on the newspapers investigative team and covered federal courts and legal affairs. She previously worked at the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Posted by Rantburg 2013-01-30 07:25|| 2013-01-30 07:25|| Front Page Top

#4 The way it's worded makes it sound like prosperity created the loneliness when it probably allows people to mitigate it (by attracting other people).

Productive people move away from poverty (see california).

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2013-01-30 08:17|| 2013-01-30 08:17|| Front Page Top

#5 The StarTribune is one of those lefty vanity newspapers.

Posted by Vortigern Hupoluse1541 2013-01-30 08:34|| 2013-01-30 08:34|| Front Page Top

#6 If you have prosperity you can fix lonely...

Yes, the invisible hand of capitalism will provide.

File under - Camp Followers

Posted by Procopius2k 2013-01-30 09:42|| 2013-01-30 09:42|| Front Page Top

#7 The StarTribune is one of those lefty vanity newspapers.

Useful information, Vortigern Hupoluse1541. Thanks!

Posted by trailing wife 2013-01-30 11:23|| 2013-01-30 11:23|| Front Page Top

#8 There's a fair amount of resentment, mostly from people not directly benefiting from the oil boom. I spent a great deal of time in Watford City and Williston. Alot of the smaller stores jack their prices way up and then give locals these discount cards so they're not being fleeced. This sort of thing breeds resentment in the rig workers who basically trash the town with alot of minor damage and such. I remember stopping to refill the gas tank when I was heading to a rig and finding "Rig jerks leave!" written on the trash can next to the pump. Another time, some lady followed me to the grocery store to yell at me for "turning right in front of her and nearly causing an accident." Given her car had been 300 yards down the road when I turned and the roads were ice free and the speed limit was 20mph, I felt fairly sure she wasn't in much danger. But she felt she had to abuse one of the horrible rig workers when she had the chance.

Many people there are nice and happy to do business with you, realizing that you're far from home and don't have many choices but to spend money in their stores. There was several places I ate that served decent food with good service and I tried to be generous in my tips in return. And I must also thank some of the postal workers there, who let me get letters and packages general delivery so that I could get mail from my then girlfriend.

As everything, it'll be what you make of it.

Posted by Silentbrick - Schlumberger Squishy Mud Division 2013-01-30 12:36|| 2013-01-30 12:36|| Front Page Top

#9 Yeah, well, 'brick, there's a reason we're called 'oilfield trash.'

Posted by Glenmore 2013-01-30 12:50|| 2013-01-30 12:50|| Front Page Top

#10 Schlumberger:

My father used to have a heck of a time keeping 12 volt batteries in oil lease pumping units out in the field. Locals would steal them as fast as you could carry them out, padlock bar or no. Got so bad he finally had mechanics rig pos/neg posts through the grill of the pumper's pickups so they could use jumper cables to start the old Buda engines. Putting junk batteries in the pumping unit battery boxes was good revenge as well. :-)

Posted by Besoeker 2013-01-30 14:10|| 2013-01-30 14:10|| Front Page Top

#11 North Dakota isn't struggling with the oil boom. This headline is struggling for relevance. This oil boom spells opportunity.

Posted by warthogswife 2013-01-30 15:25|| 2013-01-30 15:25|| Front Page Top

#12 Industry. Williston, which used to be a one-horse burg, now damn near as big as Minot, which had an air force base and a railroad yard.

Posted by mojo 2013-01-30 17:27|| 2013-01-30 17:27|| Front Page Top

#13 Williston will get a SAC base. Oh, wait, no more SAC.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2013-01-30 21:43|| 2013-01-30 21:43|| Front Page Top

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