Read this nonsense...someone wants to tax sanctioned racing

I feel for the families who lost loved ones but serious? GMAFB--I hope someone can decipher this. I mean I'd have to say the Fast and Furious Franchise is more to blame for driving like this than the IZOD Indy Car series...

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-auto-scscolumn-050210-20100502,0,7208847.column

Don't get her wrong: Cynthia Ranyak is pleased that the Luis Rivera Ortega Street Racing Act breezed through the state House and Senate in the past 10 days, with both votes unanimous. But Ranyak thinks the bill, which increases penalties for illegal racing, doesn't go far enough. In particular, it doesn't include a provision for educating young drivers. And if Ranyak has her way, a 1 percent surcharge levied on some Florida businesses that profit from motorsports would address that. Five years ago last month, Ranyak's daughter, Emily, was killed when her boyfriend, Will Riehl, lost control of his new Honda Civic driving west on State Road 528, also known as the BeachLine Expressway. At speeds approaching 100 mph, Riehl's Honda drove into the median and into the eastbound traffic, striking three vehicles. He and Emily, both 18, died at the scene. Six others were injured, some seriously. And the lives of Ranyak, a Merritt Island paralegal, and her husband, Paul, would change irrevocably. At mile marker 27 on S.R. 528, about 12 miles east of Orlando International Airport in Orange County, a simple wooden cross bolted to a piece of plastic pipe is the only visible reminder of where Will and Emily died. The families of Mothers Against Street Racing, most of whom had lost children to street-racing incidents, pushed the Ortega bill through the state Legislature. It's named for a teenager who while riding his bicycle to the library was killed when an out-of-control street racer ran him down. Now, Ranyak is determined to continue the fight to strengthen the laws. Though news accounts of the crash did not mention that Will was street racing, Ranyak said she has spoken to witnesses that insist his car was keeping pace with another car, filled with friends of Will and Emily. They were on their way to the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where Will's best friend, driver Marco Andretti, was competing. Marco is the son of Michael Andretti, and the grandson of the legendary Mario Andretti. Marco was also 18 then. Marco won the Infiniti Pro Series race the day after Will and Emily were killed, his first professional race ever, and dedicated the win to Will. "Will was my best friend," Marco said that day. "He was a guy you could really trust, a guy you could count on. He was more mature, more of a grown-up, than anyone I knew." Of course, Ranyak has to wonder about that now. "We had only met him once," she says, "and he seemed like a gentleman. But when my daughter got into the car with him, she wasn't signing up for the Indianapolis 500." Ranyak is convinced that Will, and a great many other young drivers now, was caught up in the world of motorsports and high-performance cars. Will, who planned a career working as Marco Andretti's manager, had been close to high speeds, and Ranyak suspected he wanted a taste himself — like so many other young drivers. But in a street car, they lack the right vehicle, the safety equipment, the training that a professional driver, or even an amateur racer, gets. So they go fast on the street. Much of professional motorsports, Ranyak argues, caters to kids. She is especially upset about the latest ad campaign for the Izod Indy Car Series — where Marco Andretti now competes, driving a car his father, Michael, owns. It's called "Race to the Party!" and it is complete with a Racetotheparty.com Web site, with information like, "Race in for a ride!" that tells you how if you are one of the first 50 people to buy Izod Indy car apparel at an Indianapolis mall, you‘ll get a ride in a two-seat Indy car. So Ranyak and her husband had an idea: Add a 1 percent surcharge to tickets for professional races such as the IndyCar Series' Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the Daytona 500 and the 12 Hours of Sebring. And spend the money on driver's education. She doesn't want to tax the small local tracks — they are in enough financial trouble anyway — and she's even open to the idea of letting them share in the tax money if they develop proper education programs for young drivers. And maybe spend money on billboards on race weekends. She wants special emphasis on National Safe Teen Driving week, which is the third week in October, and a Florida-only Safe Teen Driving week each April. And at schools and kart tracks. "And for any professional racers who want to talk to our kids about the devastation of street racing," Ranyak says. She knows change is possible. The crash that took the life of Emily, who adopted cats from shelters, who wanted to be a doctor, who was an intern with NASA, was the final disaster before the state agreed to put barriers in the median of S.R. 528. But Ranyak wants more — a little more than a small white cross, stuck in soggy ground, for people to remember Emily by. She plans to approach lawmakers soon with the surcharge idea. If you want to let her know what you think, the Ranyaks can be contacted through the Web site, Neon18.com, set up in memory of their daughter. Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at scsmith@orlandosentinel.com, or 407-420-5699.

I think that's a great idea.

Basically, she wants to tax the ticket money from big races–Daytona 500, Sebring, Indy, etc.–and spend it on real driver education, similar to Street Survival. I support this 100%, as long as the money actually goes to educating the idiots I have to dodge in the high school parking lot.

Ranyak is an ignorant person. Sucks her daughter died, but a good parent would either A) instill a better moral compass in their kid (before you all pick up your flame throwers, I was a kid once, and now an adult, and therefore know a touch of what Im talking about - dont think I didnt many times decide not to ride in a car with a complete moron or force a driver to let me out when they were behaving like inbred swine behind the wheel) or B) make sure she knew who the hell her daughter was getting into a car with. I guess its everyone elses fault her daughter died, and therefore its everyone elses responsibility to fix it. Im all for mandatory drivers training for youth - the ridiculously easy to pass tests they take now (and I took more than a decade ago) arent good enough. But to bully this "surcharge" onto the few fans a dying sport has left is ludicrous and proves just what kind of foresight this loon Ranyak has.

Would it be a good effect? Probably. But I think its possibly attacking the wrong thing. A lot of the people I know who are into racing also participate in sanctioned SCCA or NASA events--I find they are often the best drivers on the road with very few hotheads compared to the rest of the population.

Of course there are probably a lot of people who see the races and then just street race.

There is an active program in my area that tries to get the street racers off the street and onto a sanctioned strip, actually run by the City of Medley FL Police Dept. Friendly, pleasant track in the middle of nowhere. A popular event is Beat the Heat, where you can run a full dress cop car. You win, you get a t-shirt that says "I beat the Heat!". I think that is a good, proactive idea.

furcylndrfoury wrote: Ranyak is an ignorant person. Sucks her daughter died, but a good parent would either A) instill a better moral compass in their kid (before you all pick up your flame throwers, I was a kid once, and now an adult, and therefore know a touch of what Im talking about - dont think I didnt many times decide not to ride in a car with a complete moron or force a driver to let me out when they were behaving like inbred swine behind the wheel) or B) make sure she knew who the hell her daughter was getting into a car with. I guess its everyone elses fault her daughter died, and therefore its everyone elses responsibility to fix it. Im all for mandatory drivers training for youth - the ridiculously easy to pass tests they take now (and I took more than a decade ago) arent good enough. But to bully this "surcharge" onto the few fans a dying sport has left is ludicrous and proves just what kind of foresight this loon Ranyak has.

Agreed. I never said I liked the woman, she sounds like a freak that's mad at the world because her daughter died. I do like the idea though. A 1% charge on a $200 Nascrap ticket is only two dollars. That isn't going to turn anybody away. That money could fund real driver training for a lot of people.

Mothers Against Street Racing

I LOLed.

Why make the fans of racing pay?

Add 1% to the cost of speeding tickets, and dangerous driving fines, and let them pay for it, or just do the right thing, and make it more difficult to get a drivers license.

But she adopted stray cats!

Doesn't that make you want to pay a tax?

Huh?

Let's blame the actual sanctioned racing events for unsafe idiots racing beaters on the street? Seriously? And gotta love the 1% tax thing. Let's not forget, that's exactly the same rate that income tax started out as!

I think we should add a 1% tax to all tickets to track and field events, as well as all sales of running shoes. Why? Many criminals try to run from the police, sprinting down the road, hurdling fences, walking very quickly when trying to look inconspicuous but still trying to get out of the area. We could use all of the tax money collected to run a bunch of billboards telling kids that they should only run in sanctioned track and field events and not when committing crimes.

Bob

People also use telephones while planning or committing crimes. I propose a tax on the electricity used by phones. This is simple enough to work with for landlines, but for cell phones, we have to assume that criminals talk so much that they have to charge their phones constantly, so we need to levy a tax on electricity and on gasoline.

Remember, this is for the children. If you're against this measure, it's only because you hate kids.

I propose a 1% tax on Deodorant because most criminals will get nervous just before, during, and while fleeing from the scene of the crime, and will most likely smell bad. All those who oppose this measure will be summarily convicted of practicing communism.

Let's tax something that gets people off the streets racing...smart right?

In reply to Tommy Suddard: Originally it was a great advertising campaign-NOW it seems it is becoming a slogan- I asked Randy Bernard ( New CEO of IMS) last night on the weekly radio show what he thought about “RACE TO THE PARTY”…he was very disturbed that I would ask such a question, because Indy-racing is all about FUN. It is on the Indycar podcast , very last segment (IndycaR.COM) Last weekend they shut down Hollywood BLVD for “Race to the Party” the celebrities like Sean P- Ditty- Combs LOVED the Ride-It was on Jimmy Kimmel. The adults like to say, “Kids know Better”. Since my daughter was killed in “A Race To The Party” like scenario AND she was a Straight “A” IB Honor student, I have to disagree. Kids don’t really know better until well into their 20’s.
I am not interested in being portrayed as a “fun-sucker” but obviously that is the risk I take.We have many street racing deaths in Orlando because we are in the epi-center of the professional racing world. Our kids in Florida need better basic drivers-ed AND since the professionals are now selling "SPEED" to our kids, they should want to contribute a small percent to safe driving education. Every race car driver knows someone who was killed racing on or off the track and then they wear it like a badge of honor- "Race to the Party" is not a good slogan replkacement for "I am Indy." Izod is very knew at this professinal racing endeavor-so keep SPEED on the track because in reality, professional racing is a dangerous sport, not for children. Their are laws on the books regrading the protection of children and the racing industry is not exempt.

Problem solved. Tax the children.

It's them we are trying to protect, so why shouldn't they pay?

Tommy Suddard wrote: I support this 100%, as long as the money actually goes to educating the idiots I have to dodge in the high school parking lot.

And what do you think the chances of that are?

I never said I thought it would happen, but it's a nice dream.

Zomby Woof said: Tax the children

Fine. At every autocross, I'll gladly pay $20.20 instead of $20.00 if it puts all of my friends through real driver training.

Wow, someone keeps their eye on Google.

They can't spell, either.

Heck, that's almost a canoe.

yup.. the correct answer is always taxes. we need more taxes.

We should also put a tax on all products from any sponsor or manufacturer that participates in racing. And then we should tax the pro drivers that make racing look cool. Then we should tax the TV networks that broadcast this racing. Then we should tax the cable and satellite companies, the TV manufacturers and the people who make the couches on which we sit to watch racing.

Yeah, more taxes are always the answer to everything.

In reply to Tommy Suddard:

Not you-the revenue. Every professional race car drivers knows someone who was killed-they should be happy to support a surcharge to the owners and the revenue that the aftermarket brings in. NASCAR says it is all about family values let Mr. France proove it, along with Izod and any SEMA show- You can see my daughter at www,ejasmine,org just a Highschool girl who had dreams and a bright future-she didn't sign up for a racing practice on the highway, when she buckled her seat-belt.

I'm sorry, but your daughter's stupid choice was NOT because the evil sanctioning bodies are out to corrupt the children. They are not trying to "sell" street racing to children. In fact, the only thing I've seen them try to do is get illegal racing off of the street, and provide a safe place to drive fast. Your kid got in a car with an idiot. Racers shouldn't have to pay because of that.

Tommy Suddard wrote: I'm sorry, but your daughter's stupid choice was NOT because the evil sanctioning bodies are out to corrupt the children. They are not trying to "sell" street racing to children. In fact, the only thing I've seen them try to do is get illegal racing off of the street, and provide a safe place to drive fast. Your kid got in a car with an idiot. Racers shouldn't have to pay because of that.

From the mouths of children, words of wisdom.

Sad that you don't need a license or an IQ test to become a parent. Quit blaming the world for your inability to be a proper parent and teach your kids right from wrong.

In fact, the NHRA pretty much got started TO get the kids off of the street. Until the parents of those kids started building sub divisions next to the dragstrip AND THEN complaining about the noise, it was working quite well.

Seriously though, it isn't anyone's fault but the people doing the stupid driving. Why make someone else pay for their stupidity?

There's a lot of stupidity out there. If we were going to try and pay for it all, we'd be even stupider.

Snip to the point:

Neon18 wrote: Every race car driver knows someone who was killed racing on or off the track and then they wear it like a badge of honor-

Could you provide some evidence for this claim, please?

I certainly do not brag that my friend Jim Fitzgerald, or my acquaintances Scott Liebler & Tom Thrash are dead. Sometimes, I speak of their lives and accomplishments fondly, but I most certainly DO NOT consider it a "badge of honor" that they no longer live.

And IIRC, most of the racing drivers that have died "off the track" in the last 40yrs. died in airplane crashes.

I'm sorry you've lost a loved one, but if you think sanctioned motor racing is responsible for it, IMO...you've been talking to too many "street racers", and not enough real ones.

OTOH, I could support your idea, with one caveat: simple education is not enough. If public money is to be spent on this education, then the results should actually serve the public..if a student cannot perform at a high enough level of proficiency (and since you're worried about their lack of skill "racing", professional race drivers should determine what level of proficiency they should achieve..), they should be denied a license to drive. Are you aware that holding their parents to the same standard could revoke millions of drivers' licences nationwide? As an enthusiast (and former amateur racing driver), the prospect of traffic being cut in half is appealing, but when I recall what kind of economic damage that would be done to my nation if half of our population suddenly couldn't go to work, I am absolutely frightened.