0 to 933 MPH - #5
Note: This is part of a series.
Plenty of folks on Washington's Kitsap Peninsula are worried about a NSACAR track that's being pushed by a Florida corporation. At least two county commissioners think the deal is a rip-off for taxpayers, who would be responsible for financing $166 million of the project. Under the proposal, the corporation would also be exempted from certain taxes, be given land-use waivers, and be allowed keep taxes from ticket sales for NASCAR. In addition to the worrisome finances, a racetrack of that size--83,000 seats--would also strain roads and infrastructure in Kitsap County.
So it's not surprising that plenty of locals are less than happy about the prospect of a gigantic speedway in their backyards. The opposition is a time-honored American tradition: a gathering of neighbors who want a say in their community. They don't have corporate funding or a slick PR campaign, just a simple website, roots in the community, and a belief in local decision-making. "Our Board Room is the kitchen table of whatever member's home we happen to be in," their website says. They may just have a fighting chance.
But in a recent public hearing, county commissioners threw up their hands up at the mention of Initiative 933. If 933 passes, they admitted, land-use changes to accommodate the racetrack would be a fait accompli. Neighbors couldn't do a thing about it.
Start your engines, Kitsap County residents. If I-933 passes, your semi-rural county will likely soon be home to the largest stadium in the Northwest--25 percent larger than Qwest Field and 75 percent larger than Safeco Field.
Canadian Commonhealth
Canadians are healthier than Americans, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Americans are 42 percent more likely than Canadians to have diabetes, 32 percent more likely to have high blood pressure, and 12 percent more likely to have arthritis...
Coming hard on the heels of a highly credible study showing that Americans are much sicker than Britons, the new comparison should give US policymakers pause. Comprehensive health care coverage in Canada may be a factor, but I suspect that much of the difference may relate to these two facts:
- About 21 percent of Americans said they were obese, compared with 15 percent of Canadians.
- And about 13.5 percent of the Americans admitted to a sedentary lifestyle, versus 6.5 percent of Canadians.
But can policies make a difference in obesity and physical activity? You bet.
