NickHolt Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 Ron's Rant.... NOTE: This is the first in what is bound to be a very popular series of columns by various ASA Late Model Series Officials. Who better than to kick things off than one of the Co-Founders / Presidents of the ASA Late Model Series; Ron Varney. Respect and Loyalty - or lack there of Lexington, Michigan (11/15/2007) - There are so many topics I want to rant about. The idea is to be opinionated, thought provoking and dare I say sometimes controversial. Sit back and hold on cause here I go! Loyalty and respect - or lack there of, where has it gone. Everyone you talk to from track owners, fans, drivers and sponsors, they all want to know where the fans are. I hear the same old dribble about lost generations, about an older fan base dying off, the economy sucks, blah, blah, blah. The real truth of the matter is there is no respect or loyalty to what racing was built on. Don't think for a minute that I am not partly to blame here, I am. We (race promoters, tracks, sanctioning bodies and series) have created an environment of false equality. We as a society got sidetracked into thinking life should be fair and that the slow, fat, untalented kids should get equal playing time on the team. How does that work? Where does that create competition? How does that improve ones self worth? I mean why work harder to make the starting team when you know you get equal playing time anyway. We've done the same in racing at all levels. In the big leagues we have cookie cutter cars, cookie cutter tracks and equal engines. Even at the ASA Late Model level we have done it, same bodies and equal engines. Ron Varney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supertx Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 Amen Brother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbo Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 Stand up and testify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weirracing Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 W O W !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 Even at the ASA Late Model level we have done it, same bodies and equal engines. So if he thinks he hasn't helped...what's he gonna change? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 in our own selfesh ways we are all to blaime ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrungot Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 Leave it to us Humans to screw something up... Here's somemore interesting thoughts about equality: 1)Only in America......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front. 2) Only in America......do they have drive-up ATM's with Braille lettering. 3) On Boot's Children Cough Medicine: "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication." 4) Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections? Final stupid thought of the day: Why do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage. You calling my racecar Useless!!! Ohh almost forgot: Why do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modracer Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 We (race promoters, tracks, sanctioning bodies and series) have created an environment of false equality. I find it kind of interesting that he would bring about the equality issue. Wasn't his series the one that touted that it was an equal series which is why they went to crate motors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted November 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 I really don't think Mr. Varney is talking about hot dogs here. Rather he seems to be addressing a rather serious problem in our society - Entitlement mentality. You know what I mean... "I have been told all my life how 'special' I am, so I deserve free medical care, guaranteed lifetime income, rules that meet my personal needs instead of the good of all.... " etc. etc. "And, oh yeah, I have such high self esteem that I figure I deserve to make 100K right out of high school. Forget all that old school stuff about earning your way up the ladder or proving your worth" When I worked for the Great State of Texas I was promoted to Program Director, but didn't get the pay or the title because some judge somewhere said that only Blacks, Hispanics and women could be promoted until a certain percentage of "protected" people were promoted before us horrible white males.... Oh, but I could do the work and shoulder the responsibility alright.. just not get the pay for doing the work. Did I mention that I quit that job after investing 14 years of my life there? Johnny Paycheck seemed to be making a lot of sense about that time and I let a few people know where they could shove that job.. So I think I know what Mr. Varney's talking about. And the racing community is infected too. Especially at the top like Mr. Varney says. And we've all heard them at the local level too. "(Insert quality team name here) is just too good so let's penalize that team so my team can look good too." Or how about, "I'm taking my car and going home if you don't change that call to be in my favor..." I'm sure you've have a few more examples as well. What ever happened to working harder, working smarter and earning respect instead of being granted "self esteem" and a "positive self image" just because you suck air? Mr. Varney hit the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned. OK... all you liberal, tree-hugging, do-gooders out there, load em up and commence firing. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyhorse Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 nick ,,,,,,you are my hero again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProTree Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Amen Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REBELRACER Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 couldnt agree with you more nick. society has now gotten to where they have embraced being mediocre. good enough is good enough now. nobody is trying to be the best at what they do. everyone is afraid of offending someone now days. its ok miss johnson that little timmy sucks at everything he does, at least he tried, here is a cool ribbon for participating. life is cruel, why promote ignorance and let the kids think that, hey i dont need to work hard at this, i will still get a trophy for showing up. when i was in school there was 1st, 2nd, 3rd and honorable mention. if you weren't good enough for one of those, then you went home and tried harder next time. sure it hurt when you didnt win, but you learn from that and try harder. now days everything is dumbed down so the kid doesnt get his feelings hurt because they might have self esteem issues. and the school has to dumb everything down and award little timmy for showing up so his parents wont sue the school for "picking" on their little timmy. the greatest country in the world is slowly being ruined by our own political correctness. and what the hell is the deal with them changing santa in the mall from saying ho-ho-ho to ha-ha-ha. another lame brain yuppy do-gooder with nothing better to do with their time has a brain fart one day and decides to protest and have them change what santa in the mall says, because ho-ho-ho is offensive. if you are offended by ho-ho-ho you might need to change your lifestyle. like little timmy cant turn on the radio or tv and see some black rapper talking about hoes and g's and drive bys and drugs. get real. maybe they should be trying to take that trash off the tv and radios instead. but it is easier to change tradition, rather then anger the black community. god forbid they anger them, next thing you know jesse jackson and al sharpton are on the scene to raise hell. little by little the yuppy do-gooders are ruining this great country. they will take god out of everything we see, touch or hear and then ask for prayers when the next disaster strikes. i think the respect mr varney speaks of is the self respect that this country has lost. we cant have respect for others when we dont have respect for ourselves. jmo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braunfels99 Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Glad to see others think the same way I do.... Political correctness is killing us on many fronts....and lawyers..and liberal news coverage...hmmm///too many to list,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky161 Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 I really don't think Mr. Varney is talking about hot dogs here. Rather he seems to be addressing a rather serious problem in our society - Entitlement mentality. You know what I mean... "I have been told all my life how 'special' I am, so I deserve free medical care, guaranteed lifetime income, rules that meet my personal needs instead of the good of all.... " etc. etc. "And, oh yeah, I have such high self esteem that I figure I deserve to make 100K right out of high school. Forget all that old school stuff about earning your way up the ladder or proving your worth" When I worked for the Great State of Texas I was promoted to Program Director, but didn't get the pay or the title because some judge somewhere said that only Blacks, Hispanics and women could be promoted until a certain percentage of "protected" people were promoted before us horrible white males.... Oh, but I could do the work and shoulder the responsibility alright.. just not get the pay for doing the work. Did I mention that I quit that job after investing 14 years of my life there? Johnny Paycheck seemed to be making a lot of sense about that time and I let a few people know where they could shove that job.. So I think I know what Mr. Varney's talking about. And the racing community is infected too. Especially at the top like Mr. Varney says. And we've all heard them at the local level too. "(Insert quality team name here) is just too good so let's penalize that team so my team can look good too." Or how about, "I'm taking my car and going home if you don't change that call to be in my favor..." I'm sure you've have a few more examples as well. What ever happened to working harder, working smarter and earning respect instead of being granted "self esteem" and a "positive self image" just because you suck air? Mr. Varney hit the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned. OK... all you liberal, tree-hugging, do-gooders out there, load em up and commence firing. Nick Well I am a liberal, tree hugging do gooder and since I live in Texas I may be the only one so I guess you are talking about me. Entitlement mentality. Is that something like businesses going down to Austin begging the legislature to protect them from competitors? Or perhaps you were talking about CEOs making 500 times what their lowest paid employee makes? Is there a human being worth 500 times more than ANY other human being? Especially when that CEO drives the company into bankruptcy and lays off hundreds and even thousands of regular people that WERE ACTUALLY DOING THEIR JOB. Self esteem? So you endorse making fun of those that are fat, slow, dumb and poor? I can see where that should make people turn into great citizens when they grow up. How that plan work out with those kids at Columbine? We could run races where there weren't any rules at all. That would reward those that were the best. Those with the most money could have the most hp, the biggest and best crews, all the latest parts etc. No sense in coddling those back markers, right? Don't worry about the small fields and low attendance. Often what happened to work harder and earning respect got pushed out the door by favoritism towards those that already had an advantage. Anyone here ever get passed over for a job by the boss's family member etc.? Ever lose a sale because of a competitor bribing your customer? Ever voted for a politician that promised to clean up city hall, when he really should have said that he intended to clean out city hall? I wouldn't argue any of those points you brought up. But I will point out there is usually another side of the coin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprintsrule Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Lucky, How could running races where there are no rules reward those that are the best? The rules make a level playing field to find out who is the best instead of who can buy the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted November 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Entitlement mentality. Is that something like businesses going down to Austin begging the legislature to protect them from competitors? Or perhaps you were talking about CEOs making 500 times what their lowest paid employee makes? Is there a human being worth 500 times more than ANY other human being? Especially when that CEO drives the company into bankruptcy and lays off hundreds and even thousands of regular people that WERE ACTUALLY DOING THEIR JOB. Capitalism and the American way of life isn't for everyone. Marx and Stalin would agree with you 100%. Self esteem? So you endorse making fun of those that are fat, slow, dumb and poor? I can see where that should make people turn into great citizens when they grow up. How that plan work out with those kids at Columbine? Huh? Who said anything about making fun of anyone? And anyone who goes around shooting people they don't like aren't the product of parents who set high expectations for their kids and consistently guide them towards working to achieve worthwhile goals in life. We could run races where there weren't any rules at all. That would reward those that were the best. Those with the most money could have the most hp, the biggest and best crews, all the latest parts etc. No sense in coddling those back markers, right? Don't worry about the small fields and low attendance. And who said anything about rules being a bad thing? Certainly not me. But, hey, here's an idea that could work. How about everyone meeting the same rules without asking for special favors because they don't have a wallet to match the big boys. Or because they don't have as much experience. Or maybe because they don't know what the heck they're doing... Often what happened to work harder and earning respect got pushed out the door by favoritism towards those that already had an advantage. Anyone here ever get passed over for a job by the boss's family member etc.? Ever lose a sale because of a competitor bribing your customer? Ever voted for a politician that promised to clean up city hall, when he really should have said that he intended to clean out city hall? Life just isn't fair at all, is it? Maybe we should not permit anyone who comes from a good family or who happens to be the boss' son to hold a job. And are you implying that people who don't buy into the liberal, entitlement philosophy endorses illegal behavior (bribes) or dishonest politicians? You may not agree with my political views and that's OK. It's America after all. But I'm not buying the liberal crap we're being fed 24/7 in the school system, by the news media, by Hollywood and by left-wing politicians. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky161 Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Entitlement mentality. Is that something like businesses going down to Austin begging the legislature to protect them from competitors? Or perhaps you were talking about CEOs making 500 times what their lowest paid employee makes? Is there a human being worth 500 times more than ANY other human being? Especially when that CEO drives the company into bankruptcy and lays off hundreds and even thousands of regular people that WERE ACTUALLY DOING THEIR JOB. Capitalism and the American way of life isn't for everyone. Marx and Stalin would agree with you 100%. Well Capitalism and the American way are not exactly the same thing either. I doubt seriously that anyone would agree with me 100% and I don't agree with anyone else 100%. Is it the capitalism or the American way that rewards CEOs that screw up and punishes people that did their job? Self esteem? So you endorse making fun of those that are fat, slow, dumb and poor? I can see where that should make people turn into great citizens when they grow up. How that plan work out with those kids at Columbine? Huh? Who said anything about making fun of anyone? And anyone who goes around shooting people they don't like aren't the product of parents who set high expectations for their kids and consistently guide them towards working to achieve worthwhile goals in life. Of course you didn't say anything about making fun of anyone. You only said those that complained about it should just get tough. Those at Columbine that killed all those kids and teachers were picked on and nobody saw any reason to interfere. I am not condoning what they did, only pointing out one of the reasons. We could run races where there weren't any rules at all. That would reward those that were the best. Those with the most money could have the most hp, the biggest and best crews, all the latest parts etc. No sense in coddling those back markers, right? Don't worry about the small fields and low attendance. And who said anything about rules being a bad thing? Certainly not me. But, hey, here's an idea that could work. How about everyone meeting the same rules without asking for special favors because they don't have a wallet to match the big boys. Or because they don't have as much experience. Or maybe because they don't know what the heck they're doing... Often what happened to work harder and earning respect got pushed out the door by favoritism towards those that already had an advantage. Anyone here ever get passed over for a job by the boss's family member etc.? Ever lose a sale because of a competitor bribing your customer? Ever voted for a politician that promised to clean up city hall, when he really should have said that he intended to clean out city hall? Life just isn't fair at all, is it? Maybe we should not permit anyone who comes from a good family or who happens to be the boss' son to hold a job. And are you implying that people who don't buy into the liberal, entitlement philosophy endorses illegal behavior (bribes) or dishonest politicians? No it's not, but that's life. No, we shouldn't do that either. We should do something in between. Not all family members are unqualified bad co workers. I've worked with both kinds. No, I am not implying that. Some people that buy into the liberal entitlement philosophy are crooks too. You may not agree with my political views and that's OK. It's America after all. But I'm not buying the liberal crap we're being fed 24/7 in the school system, by the news media, by Hollywood and by left-wing politicians. And you may not agree with mine and that's ok too. I did actually think you would admit that there were two sides to the coin. Oh well, again that's ok, it's America after all. And I'm not buying all the conservative crap being fed 24/7 in the school system, by the news media, by Hollywood and right wing politicians. Just in case you need some examples, Phil Gramm and Dick Armey were school teachers, FOX news, Fred Thompson, Charleton Heston.... Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budman Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Rah! Rah! Nick! .............. I have sensed for a long time you had that pent up frustration in there trying to get out!!! Seriously though, you're absolutely correct. We consistantly reward mediocraty anymore instead of excellence. As a result, we are seeing our civilization in rapid decline. I see evidence of it around me every single day. I just hate it for my kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky161 Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Lucky, How could running races where there are no rules reward those that are the best? The rules make a level playing field to find out who is the best instead of who can buy the best. I agree that rules make a level playing field. I was trying to point out that there are some that are not above getting around the rules in order to unlevel the playing field. And one way they do it is to buy their way around them. And my example was trying to answer specific points brought up by Nick that did a pretty good job of explaining one side of the coin, but didn't address that the coin had another side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Mr. Varney hit the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned. OK... all you liberal, tree-hugging, do-gooders out there, load em up and commence firing. Nick I'll quote Mr. Varney here too, a part you seem to have ignored. "Respect, where has it gone"? As a matter of fact, you not only ignored the main point of his post, you made it into quite something else. BTW, I tried to update my Ignore Filter to prevent similar diatribes from appearing on my screen, but for some reason it will not accept "Nick". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted November 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 BTW, I tried to update my Ignore Filter to prevent similar diatribes from appearing on my screen, but for some reason it will not accept "Nick". Try NickHolt. That should work... Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyhorse Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 KEEP IT UP NICK!,,,,,,,,,,,i'll have to change the bottom of my signature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landlord Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 You liberals really do believe all that garbage!!!! Nick,Is liberal bashing allowed if we keep it clean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted November 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 You liberals really do believe all that garbage!!!! Nick,Is liberal bashing allowed if we keep it clean? LOL.... nope.... "tree-hugging" and "do-gooders" is about as drastic as I'll let it go... LOL Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REBELRACER Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 what about tofu-[edited out by Nick Holt, 11/16/07] hippy [edited out by Nick Holt, 11/16/07]. is that crossing the line? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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