SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT ALONE

Some things are better left alone . . . and the old-car hobby is one of them. The people who collect and restore old cars have always been a very independent lot. We do fine without what some folks call “government help” and others call “goverment interference.” Just look at how the hobby marketplace is holding up compared to the overall economy. Cars are still selling, vendors are still selling parts and restoration shops still have waiting lists. Yesterday I went to the Appleton Auto Show and my car was the 1,269th vehicle registered. And I wasn’t the last one to arrive. I remember, not so long ago, when 800 cars was a full house at Appleton. Some experts tell me the hobby is doing “better than ever.” Others say it is “not the best ever, but pretty good and we’re not complaining.” I can’t help thinking that this is due to the independent nature of hobbyists. So tell “Big Brother” to just keep his hands off and we’ll do fine all by ourselves. Washington won’t have to bail us out!