Deregulate the Stuff We Want: Quick Jump
The current U.S. government is rolling back everything from emissions to self-worth as it continues to portray an inconsistent message of deregulation, but beefing up police protection around Washington by summoning and bringing local police under federal control that it gave less power to.
Make that make sense. You can’t. And I won’t bring any more energy to try and understand the lunacy of it all. But, it does bring up a point that is becoming less true: the cost of living is going up considerably in red states.
In the past, you could tolerate living in the South if bad politics was a trade-off for cheap home prices, gas, food; what have you. Since the great migration of the pandemic however, Texas and Florida saw some of the largest population growth in the U.S., driving up costs. To the point that it’s now cheaper to live where I am now in Arizona.
Still, there is a sizable chunk of blue voters in the South. I’m willing to bet that in addition to greater politics, these folks stay in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, yadayada for the sprawling open space. And a Jeep Wrangler with the doors off simply won’t cut it.
It finally gained a modern rival in the Ford Bronco, which debuted an open-air concept model at Pebble Beach:
Doesn’t it look snazzy? No doors, no roll cage, no roof. It’s a throwback to the less-complicated Broncos of the 1960s that didn’t really see a need for rear seatbelts. Sadly, the Bronco won’t enter production as-is, but it does raise an idea for the government to do if it wants to continue the deregulation spree.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA] monitors the well-being of vehicles on the road and its occupants. Advances in technology mean they’re sturdier and stronger than ever, even if electronic features can present a nuisance while driving.
There are some aspects that don’t quite need more research grants: pedestrian safety for instance. Getting hit by a car is getting hit by a car. You’re going to the hospital anyway because cars and trucks and EVs are getting heavier by the minute, making something like pedestrian safety a moot point. The driver is the one making the point of contact, while the vehicle they pilot won’t discriminate against the bag of meat and bones it inevitably hits.
So if we’re to die anyway, let me introduce you to a simpler time of which the white Bronco draws inspiration upon:
Similar theme going on here; no roll cage, no roof, I bet the doors could come off in 1969.
This is the Chevrolet K5 Blazer. It, and its GMC sibling, once offered a barebones utility vehicle where you pick the options. Standard equipment included a driver seat, steering wheel, an engine, and four wheels. It was up to you to add passenger seats, that rear bench you see in the picture, a hardtop roof, seatbelt restraints, and so on.
It’s like if you were to build an iPad today, but you had a choice of what screen size to choose from, how big the battery can, how many external ports you want, and finally, a proper color rather than the elegant silver or black.
This is the kind of deregulation that would make everyone happy. Not a rollback of EPA rules, which just goes to show none of our so-called lawmakers have ever spent time with a running car in an enclosed garage. Not that you should, but you’ll end up coughing after a few minutes. I’ll save how I came across that information for another time.
I love convertibles, so the K5 Blazer from the early years lives in my head rent-free. If I can get a new one from the factory with a warranty attached, that’d be a job well done.
Your move, GOP.
-TA