[Vigilanteman]

I grew up in North Dakota. Most of us were friendly enough to outsiders, but didn't want too many of them moving in and ruining our way of life. We told them lots of self-depreciating jokes about 40 below keeping the riffraff out and about mosquitoes growing so large that they sometimes carried off small household pets.

I'm sure there are many of them looking at the current oil boom as something which will eventually pass and, in the meantime, would like to drag it on as long as possible to employ their kids and grandkids rather than outsiders.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Yet the Alaska gold rush brought its share of boom towns, in a place harsher than ND. Is something happening there to dampen that down? Capitalism eventually wins out if not hobbled sufficiently badly.