Iced tea and sweetened tea are actually big down here, and it seems to me like there is a decent amount of tea products at the convenience stores

As for selection, I have to plead ignorance on this one, because it's not a problem, not around here anyway, or anywhere I've been. I don't stop in convenience stores too much, but when I do I usually get some sort of juice and always have tons of options. As for the bottled tea drinks, I always see plenty of them, and in my own opinion most of them are pretty gross, so I wouldn't miss 'em.

The beer thing you mention is true. But if it weren't that way, it's still not going to take the opportunity to drink and drive away. I hate drunk drivers (and my wife's mother was killed by one), but I wonder how much of a difference changing that would really make. I guess if it made any whatsoever it would be worth it. However, I do not put the blame on the retailer - I put it squarely on the consumer.

I know you didn't mean emissions per se, but that's the only remotely similar thing we've had since I can remember, and it didn't last long. And I do think that safety inspections like that are probably overkill. Here that is left up to law enforcement and any questionable vehicle should be pulled over. The way it is done up there sounds a bit like a government cash cow to me. And I'm not saying you're wrong, but I just haven't noticed more jalopies running around here than anywhere else I've been (NY, NJ, OH, GA, AL, SC, NC, VA, WV, TN, ND, MN, HI). But granted I've never been to PA yet, either. I personally think it would be more of a concern in northern states because of climate (salting the roads). My wife's previous van was rusting underneath and wouldn't have held up so well had she not moved down here from OH.

And BaM*BaM, you're a trip. I have done the FL-AL thing plenty and I've never seen that, but not saying it isn't so either. I've had enough contact with some of your fellow Idahoans via other interests of mine to know the grass isn't so green right where you're at. Beautiful state, though. When you boil it all down, there are kooks everywhere, and all the kooks think everyone else is kooky and not them. You probably think I'm a dumb-as-dirt southerner and I think you're something out of the Twilight Zone, but it's all good.