Helio Castroneves won his third Indy 500 last week and will take home a replica of the famous Borg Warner Trophy with his face once again affixed to its girth. Through all the talk of tradition and emotion-laden reminiscing of past winners of the Borg Warner Trophy, no one talked about the affect of Borg Warner leaving places like Muncie.
It's been hard on those who made their livelihoods with the well known manufacturer. Those Muncie/Yorktown residents, along with a lot of others all over America, have been sold out by the CEOs who let it all ride like the industry was a slot machine rigged to pay off every time.
There hasn't been an authentically American-made car in years, with increased parts manufacturing and assembly of American cars going on in other countries. They use Japanese parts that are assembled in Mexico, and they put the "Made in the USA" stamp on what rolls off the line.
While GM has largely abandoned Indiana, the Toyota Tundra is made here. Castroneves' Penske car was running a Honda engine, a company many Americans used to view as "those little cars no one wants because they're not American and they can't go 300 mph or crush other cars."
Chevy isn't king anymore. Foreign companies are edging us out with a better product at the Speedway and on the street.
Foreign automakers are throwing haymakers at America and the big three are on the ropes, struggling to make it through the standing eight-count. They've gotten away with producing overpriced, fuel-guzzling junk for decades and the party is over. They've been exposed as incorrigible thieves and snake oil salesmen. The Union is to blame as well. They behave like spoiled children, never pleased with anything.
For a long time, we've needed to stop concentrating on fast convertibles and hotrods that lay patches of rubber and make the ladies' knees weak. We don't need trucks that crush smaller trucks. We need Americans working, making cars the world will buy because they use renewable energy. We need to evolve.
If you care one iota about what happens to the world in the next 20 to 30 years, energy should be your highest priority. I don't like the "alternative energy source" phrase. It implies that such energy sources are the next best thing to destroying the Earth's resources.
Anything renewable is infinitely better because it doesn't take from what makes our world beautiful. It seems the more the word "renewable" is used, the more people take notice. Something that's renewable sounds good. It communicates that it won't run out and that it will be far less dangerous to the environment. Calling something "alternative" tends to lend itself to feelings of fear and uncertainty because many of us don't like change or the unknown, at least when it comes to things we depend on every day like power and transportation.
The dogs of Earth are at our door even as we speak. Seth Slabaugh reported last week for thestarpress.com that oil developers are eyeing the Muncie area.
"Since April of 2008, the DNR has issued 10 oil-drilling permits in Delaware County and four other permits to drill test wells in the county, one on property owned by pork producer Kaye Whitehead, former chairman of the Delaware County Republican Party," according to Slabaugh's article. "The majority of the permits were issued to Jack W. Racer."
Slabaugh's story says Racer is behind most of the oil drilling in the county and wouldn't comment on the intentions of his employer-the Houston based oil and natural gas development entity, Sierra Resources LLC-though it sounds like he wants to drill for oil and gas at or near Prairie Creek Reservoir, which has nearby residents very concerned.
These folks should be concerned. Industry is dying and people from other states are swooping in to see what's left that they can get their hands on. And it's OK to be outraged because you don't want an oil well pumping crude in your backyard, but there should be more outrage because drilling for more oil should be coming to a stop any time now.
Drilling for oil seems to be rather like smoking. Maybe we need to send all the drilling degenerates to oil cessation classes, or perhaps hypnotism is the answer.
I've got it! We'll put them on the crude oil patch! But only long enough to kick the habit. In the meantime, we'll try to get some American cars on the road, built here, that don't require oil to run. What a dream.
Write to John at jrfrees@bsu.edu
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