Isn’t there an alternative to banning NASCAR
Show Your Concern - Send To a Friend
Aside from dying, or wasting so sickeningly that your children are delegated to die on your behalf for your runaway consumerist sins, no there isn’t. Some have suggested we mandate cleaner racing fuels, carpooling to events or racing hybrid vehicles, but these measures do not address the real impact by even the smallest measures. Here you can read about some of the alternatives suggested to banning NASCAR and the reasons why they don’t address the real issues. Many of these suggestions have been raised in the past, and some have even been adopted, only to later be orphaned like a redheaded stepchild in a third marriage. Race Hybrid Vehicles – If you want to race cars that use hybrid motors, it will trim gross fuel consumption, but it will still waste fuel and add a whole new dimension of heavy metal batteries like Lithium Ion and Nickel Metal Hydride, and the disposal problems that inherently come along, thus fixing one problem while creating new ones, and not addressing the real problem. Alternative Fuel – Replacing traditional race fuels with ethanol or biodiesel fuels may reduce petroleum dependency of potentially harmful and ill-intending foreign nations like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Canada, but this will only encourage the transformation of food crop farms to fuel crop farms, thus further driving up the cost of food in our nation and around the world. The lead was mandatorily removed from race vehicles some years back, only to have it return a few years later because it was “practical” due to all the “motors that blew up” because they “weren’t using” leaded fuels. Mandatory Speed Limits – Although mandatory speed limits do reduce fuel consumption, even the most conservative sports commentators agree that this will be a fate equal to the outright banning of NASCAR. If it’s an equal measure, no sense pussyfooting around, let’s just ban it and call it a day. Mandatory Carpooling to Race Events – It won’t stop people from driving gas guzzling environment destroyers, and if anything, it will encourage them. Worse still, those fans would never permit such nanny-state interference, and would still find ways to ruin nature enroute even if just to spite our grandchildren. Recycling Incentives – If a five-cent deposit was required on aluminum beer cans at NASCAR events, it would be unlikely to work, and could bankrupt the lower class in a single racing season. If it did work, it could raise as much as $26 billion, but economists predict that a hugely successful black market beer can economy would spring up overnight to circumvent this measure, no matter how steep the fines for non-compliance might be. Carbon Offset Credit Mandate – NASCAR can be required to purchase carbon offset credits, but that will only help the exhaust emissions aspect of the problem. There is so much more that’s wrong with NASCAR. Still, there are not enough carbon offset credits available on the market for the purchase of NASCAR within the Soap Box Derby – It would be great if the idea could work, but there are already Soap Box Derbies, and nobody watches and even fewer participate. It’s perfect because it burns no fuel, vehicles are made from 2nd and 3rd cycle-run products, and the races are innovative, technologically exciting and inspiring as well as carbon neutral. This is not a reasonable option because it can never happen in practicality because it isn’t loud enough or crazy enough to kill our fellow human beings in terrible balls of fires. That’s not our opinion, that comes from focus groups. Smaller Race Tracks – If the track was smaller, it would necessarily reduce speeds, potentially reduce fuel consumption, and dramatically diminish the amount of forest space leveled to make way for tracks. This won’t work because smaller tracks already host car racing and nobody bothers to watch, as well they shouldn’t; it’s pointless, and that’s an unbiased fact. Foot Races – Last time I checked, the ultimate test of man’s speed did NOT come from how hard and fearlessly he could mash his flat, bunioned, clubbed foot to the floor of an anything-but-stock death trap, but how fast he could honestly and earnestly be in his own capacity with only the grace of the two shoed hoofers that our great mother God gave him or her. We do support foot races. They are green, healthy, and all they blow out their tailpipes is Taco Bell at worst. It isn’t pretty, but it sure as heck won’t kill you, and the tracks can be perfectly green.