Saturday, June 14, 2008

Bayley's

Went to the mini-show at Bayley's Campground in Scarborough today. What a great little place to spend a beautiful day! Everything was relaxed, the hosts were pleasant, and everything you could possibly want - a playground and in-ground pool for the kids, a restaurant, store...

I discovered why Bayley's does not really advertise this show - they only have room for about 50-60 cars, and they got about 40+, so they really don't have room for a big show. But I won't miss this one next year! It was really nice.

Certainly, there wasn't much in the way of trophies - 10 in all - but they more than make up for that in other ways. For example, the top 4 winners not only received a trophy, but cash, as well. First place got $200.

Tomorrow, if it is not raining when I get up, I'll head up to Hodgman's Frozen Custard in New Gloucester. I hear the Knucklebusters put on a good show. If it starts to rain later, we will then decide if we will stay. Later, after Hodgman's, we hope to make it over to Shapleigh Corner Store for the annual Father's Day Meet, which (technically) begins at 4:00 (though many start arriving by noon). They expect to be giving away (50) $100 bills this year.

Regardless of tomorrow's weather, today's outing at Bayley's made this weekend a winner!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

On a Serious Note

I prefer not to get political in this blog, but in this case, it concerns the cost of gas and oil, for which we all have a strong need.

Ever notice that for some politicians, their first and only "solution" to any problem is to increase taxes? And after 100 years of that, they still have not learned that higher taxes is never a good, permanent solution to anything. Government can never use our money as wisely as we can, and when they take it from us, we have less to invest in the future, in business, and in our families.

Take the bill in the Senate that would have put a Windfall Profits Tax on oil company profits. Sure, to the short-sighted, that sounds great - the oil companies can afford it, and they deserve it. But the thinking man first remembers that every Windfall Profits Tax of the past has failed miserably. We did it in the '70's, under Carter, and it resulted in shorter supplies and higher prices. Is that really a solution? Is that what we really want?

The reason WF Taxes don't work is simple economics. If you place more taxes on business, the business will simply increase the price to the consumer, to cover the tax. And they will not invest as much into research, or refining. The tobacco companies did that sort of thing when they got sued and had to pay out many millions. They simply passed the cost onto you and me (well, not me - I don't smoke).

It never ceases to amaze me that so many good folks simply cannot grasp this simple concept and truth: if you increase the cost of doing business, it must result in an increase in the cost of products and services. Even a child running a lemonade stand knows that - if the cost of lemons goes up, he has to charge more for his lemonade. If Dad takes 20 percent of every dollar, the kid must charge 20 percent more to make up those losses.

More taxes are not the solution. The solution is four-fold: first, the governments - state and federal - must be made to stop taxing fuel by the dollar, and tax it by the gallon, instead. As it is, every time the cost goes up, the amount we pay in tax also goes up. But if the tax was per gallon, it would not increase just because the price goes up. The ones who are earning a "profit windfall" are the governments.

Second, oil must be removed from the commodities market, and regulated as any other necessary utility. If day traders cannot keep bidding up the futures prices, the cost per barrel will drop like a rock.

Third, the government should pass legislation that would permit us to tap our own natural resources, as a temporary measure, until a new energy source can be found or created. Many people simply do not realize that in the last few years, China and India - both with populations that far exceed our own - have begun using oil in the same quantities (or greater) than America does. This has tripled demand - while supply has remained stagnant. The simple law of "supply and demand" dictates the price increases accordingly. If we cannot decrease demand, then we absolutely must increase supply.

Finally, the government should offer a $100 million dollar reward to any person or company that develops a viable, sustainable source of energy that can replace oil, and is either carbon neutral, or at least greener than fossil fuels. That reward is small compared to what it will cost us if such a source is not developed. The reward would spur ingenuity, and get companies investing in a renewable source. As an example, when a $10 million dollar prize was offered to the first person to put a man into space and land him safely, it spurred many into finding ways to do it, and it was accomplished within 2 years.

But the politicians who see taxation as the only solution are bad for us, bad for our economy, and do not offer any viable answers. It's time to replace them with people who can see beyond their noses. The republicans who shot down that dangerous "band-aid" solution did a fine and courageous thing. Courageous because many people will not see them as visionaries, but as obstructionists. But it's like the Bible says - the righteous will always be persecuted.

Not that those republican Senators are righteous. But in this case, they did manage to do the right thing, for the right reasons. And, since the bill would have forced all businesses to pay a total of an extra trillion a year to buy "carbon credits", they also prevented having businesses pull up stakes and move to China and India, where there are no such restrictions. If you owned a big business and were told to pay a huge amount for credits, and you realized you could save billions by moving to China, you'd be gone in a flash - and take all those American jobs with you. Not good! So, though it looks like obstructionism, in this case the Republicans did a very good and sane thing.

Now if only Congress will do the four things listed above, we could all rest a lot easier.
I really do not care if Republicans or Democrats hold Congress. I only care that whoever we elect, that they actually have some intelligence, and remember that they work for us, and not vice versa. They need to accomplish the tasks the people want them to deal with - immigration, health, jobs, national security etc. But in the 2 years the Democrats have held BOTH HOUSES of Congress, they have not accomplished anything at all. And the Republicans before them were not that much better (though they did get SOME things done).

It is time we sent politicians a message - do the job, or get replaced.

If you are interested in discovering actual solutions, so you can elect people who will pursue them, check out www.americansolutions.com and look over their platform, formulated by asking average Americans what they want our leaders to do. If you agree with more than half of the platform, consider "signing" their petition to have it presented at both national conventions this year.

It's a start.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Gambling

All day the news kept talking about severe thunderstorms with large hail. So I spent much of the day debating if I would drive the one hour to Roy's in Auburn for their cruise.

But I knew deep down I would go, because I can be an idiot.

All the way up, the sun shone bright. I hit the Auburn city line and everything grew dark and cold. Uh-oh!

I got to Roy's, and was surprised to see about a dozen cars there, in spite of the threatening weather. It's really nice to know I'm not the only idiot.

But as the sky grew darker, many left (not me, of course, because I'm a professional idiot).

Lo and behold, the dark clouds left, the sun returned and all was fine. But by that time, only a few of us remained, so I hit the road.

But we did manage to get the balloting done for the Super Cruise.

The weather tomorrow is supposed to be fine, so we'll probably pop over to Fabulous 50's Diner on Rte 25 in Standish. It's a small group, but lots of laughs. Thursday we hope to make an appearance at Ainsley's in Gardiner (a first for us).

So many cruises - so few days in a week! I think I'll have myself cloned so I can get on even more people's nerves :o) On second thought, that would not be good - two of me would burn twice as much gas...

Gotta go - take care, folks!

Bill

Monday, June 9, 2008

Ol Blue

Yeah, you have probably seen this truck, either at shows or cruises throughout Maine. That truck is everywhere!

Jim Peacock, the owner, is from Dresden Maine. Yet he makes it a point to be at cruises as far south as Shapleigh and Westbrook. Everywhere I go, I turn around and there is Big Jim.

I'm going to bet that I see him at Roy's tomorrow night, too. It's always a pleasure, because Jim and his little lady are really nice, affable folks. Don't come any finer. And he gives his vehicles the same dedication and care that he shows to those around him.

It's a pleasure to know ye!

HotKarz is going to be doing ballots for the Super Cruise at Roy's (Auburn) tomorrow night, weather permitting. If we get rained out, check HotKarz to find out if we will show up somewhere else for balloting later in the week.

Just received an email from George Giroux, who runs the South Mountain Showdown Car Show in Lincoln, NH on July 19th. He is inviting all of us Mainiacs to the show. He realizes it's a long drive from Maine (81 miles from my place in Limington), but wanted us to know the invitation is a personal invitation to us, and he would welcome us. While I will likely attend as a rep of HotKarz, I doubt if too many of us can make such a trip. But if you can, you will certainly be made welcome. I'm going to make a weekend of it - the Lincoln area has a lot of attractions, such as Clark's Trading Post & Trained Bears, the Flume, Lost River etc. For me, it will be a great mini-vacation, which makes it worth the trip.

If any of you think you would like to do the same, let me know. Perhaps we can set up a long, 85 mile cruise to Lincoln, then go to some of the attractions as a group.

I've never been to Ainsley's, in Gardiner for their Thursday cruise-in. If the weather holds, I think I'll cruise on up there this week, maybe see some sweet rides I haven't seen before.

Later!

A Problem Of Class

What does a 50's custom Ford, an 80's stock AMC, an 80's Olds Cutlass, a '37 street rod, a 50's pickup and a Hot Rod have in common?

I don't know, either, except that they all ended up in the same class - Special Interest. And none of them belonged there. It was not fair to them, and it certainly was not fair to those who really were Special Interest.

It seems that many organizers suffer from two problems - they do not think Special Interest is a class in its own right, and they do not monitor what class a car enters.

But Special Interest is a class, and deserves the same respect as any other class. It is not "Miscellaneous", nor is it "Catch-All". But that is the insulting way it - and the folks who truly belong there - are treated.

A Mustang owner would be rightfully upset if a custom 50's Chevy were to enter in the Mustang class. But organizers don't think twice about letting either of those enter Special Interest. And in some cases, they promote the abuse by putting cars in Special Interest because they never took the time to choose adequate classes for the cars that come. At Shawnee Peak, for example, there were no classes for 80's, 90's, 2000's etc., so organizers put all those cars in Special Interest. And how do folks who truly have a Special Interest vehicle feel about being crowded out of their own class - the only class they fit into? And how should they feel when all the Special Interest trophies go to those that are not Special Interest?

In reality, I would prefer to enter our '02 PT Woody into "90's or newer", because that is the most appropriate class. But when there is no such class, we are relegated to Special Interest, because it is the only other class we fit into. And I can tell you it is incredibly frustrating to be muscled out of that class by vehicles that have no business being there. A custom '50's Ford should be in with Customs, or with 50's Fords. Not Special Interest.

This abuse of classes is usually created because organizers do not plan classes well, but sometimes the participants abuse the class structure in order to position themselves better for a trophy. While that is understandable, it is also unfair and disrespectful. The owner of that 50's Custom Ford would be the first to complain if we entered our PT Cruiser in his Custom 50's Ford class. And he would have every right to, because we would not belong there.

Some organizers say that they have no choice, because they only have a few classes. To that I say they should either add classes and build their show, or choose classes more wisely. If chosen properly, 8 classes COULD include everyone. But when organizers leave 30 years of vehicles of every type without any class, they certainly have not chosen classes wisely.

The first thing organizers need to do is realize that, while they do have to consider their own needs, that those needs cannot be met if they are not just as interested in considering the needs of the participants. After all, if they cannot make us happy, we don't return and their show suffers. They need to put a little thought and effort into making sure all the participants want to return next year, and bring their friends.

The second thing organizers need to do is take control of their show - and take responsibility for it. If an entrant drives up in a 50's Ford and says "Special Interest", the organizers should say, "Sorry, Bub - you gotta go in with the 50's Fords."

And organizers need to take responsibility by having people on hand who know the difference between a '40 Ford Coupe and a PT Cruiser, so they can assign appropriate classes.
Organizers take note: Special Interest is NOT a "miscellaneous" class, nor a catch-all bin for left-overs. We do not appreciate being treated as the "also rans", or second-class citizens. If you keep treating us this way, you will lose a lot of entrants. We will go to shows that treat us properly, and those shows will grow, while yours shrivels.

And Special Interest is not the only class that gets abused - but it is the class that gets abused the most, and almost without exception.

Just because an organizer does not offer a class for a certain vehicle does NOT mean it should be put in Special Interest. The only vehicles in Special Interest should be those with a SPECIAL INTEREST. Special Interest is a class. Please start treating it like one. And while you are at it, how about remembering there are also cars that were made AFTER 1990? Sure, if you want to stick to old cars, that's fine. But if you do that, stick to it, and do not admit the newer cars just to take their money.

And have an appropriate class for each type of vehicle you invite, or don't invite them. It is wrong to invite someone, take their money, and not have a class for them in which they can fairly compete! We, and other cars later than 1980 were personally invited to Shawnee, by the organizers. But they did not have any classes for cars after 1980. That is patently wrong.

As one woman relegated to Special Interest put it, "It was like they were saying 'we don't care about you or your car enough to have a class for you, but we'll take your money anyway, and stick you in Special Interest where you can't win because you are not Special Interest. But we don't care, as long as we get your money. Wanna buy some 50/50's?'"

HotKarz will not promote any show that treats people like that.

That said, it seems the "youngun" at the Sacopee Valley show that I spoke to about the drink on the hood of my car took exception to my post. He emailed that I never made mention of any tazer (he is correct), and that my honesty is in somehow in question. Apparently the young man has difficulty recognizing humor and the need for poetic license in order to entertain. I think he needs to get a grip, and not take everything so seriously. After all, if I took things that seriously, I probably would have shot him. And if that young man is reading this, once again that is called "humor". So, to the young people in question, I apologize if I have hurt your feelings. But I think you need to lighten up :o)

It also appears that some show organizers whose shows do not get a great review get angry with me. I am sorry, but I am not the one you should be angry with - I am not responsible for the shortcomings of your show. I just call 'em like I see them, and report what other participants tell me. But if you want to blame me for the shortcomings of your show, then I must insist you also give me credit for all the things that were good about your show.

Sorry, but I am not responsible for things that go wrong, but all the readers can trust me to post an unbiased accounting. If you want to be reviewed as a great show, then you need to put on a great show. It's that simple.

And if you do not know what a really good show is like, attend the shows at Durham, Dover, OOB, or the Concord (NH) Kiwanis etc. and see for yourself. All it requires is considering the needs of the participants as much as you consider your need to raise funds. It needs to be a symbiotic relationship - each needs the other.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

The Show at Shawnee Peak

I have mixed emotions about this show, but I will keep this post short, as a longer post is coming on a serious matter of a general nature that needs to be addressed. However, the pix of the Shawnee Peak show are now posted at the Gallery. Enjoy!

The show at Shawnee was fairly good, but for the same reasons some other shows come up short, so did this one. As usual, the cars and the folks were absolutely the tops! No doubt about it. The atmosphere (though VERY hot) was fun, and the organizers (MOAL of Pleasant Mountain) were fine hosts.

But, as is true of so many shows that come short of being really good or great, this one also has a) a problem with classes, and b) an identity crisis.

IDENTITY: Many organizers, in their hearts, want to stick to older cars, such as pre-78, or pre-85. That's fine. But a problem arises when they invite newer cars, to fill spaces and collect fees, but do not have any classes for them to enter in. This is both unfair and unethical. Organizers need to discover who they are, and who they want to serve, and if they choose to invite certain classes, then they have an obligation to have classes for them.

MOAL personally invited the owners of newer cars - they solicited us at the Naples show. But when we all arrived, they had no classes for us, so they stuck all of us in "Special Interest", even though most are not in any way suited to that class. The "newest" class they had was "Best of the 70's" - so where were the classes for all those 80's, 90's and newer that they invited?

I must say that we felt abused - we traveled to get there, we paid our fees, we supported their cause. But we were given no respect. No classes for us.

Organizers need to get off the fence. They need to come to terms with their identity. And if they invite certain classes, they had darn well better have classes to put them in, or those folks will not return.

CLASSES: As stated above, organizers need to have a class for every vehicle they invite. And if a vehicle arrives that does not have an APPROPRIATE class available, that vehicle should not be charged a fee, and, though invited to stay, should not be placed in an INAPPROPRIATE class, just so the organizers can take their money.

And this brings us to the lead in for the next post, coming soon - abuse of classes. For now, I leave you with one question, which I hope you will think on for a bit:

How do you think cars in the 55-57 Chevy class would feel if cars from the 40's, Fords, Jeeps and everything else under the sun were allowed to enter their class? Or how would Street Rods feel if Camaros and Firebirds were allowed to muscle in on their class?

Please think about that, because that is exactly what many organizers are doing to one particular class. And that will be the substance of my next post.

But I will say this about the Shawnee Show - if you were privileged enough to have a class, and if you were put into the RIGHT class, it was a really fine show. But for those of us who were left out in the cold, on such a hot day, well, I have listened to most of them, and most of us will not be returning next year.

Just a word to the wise, if you are a show organizer.

Bill