[DeTomaso] [Fwd: Message From SEMA Action Network Regarding Collector Car Tax Hoax]

[Asa Jay Laughton]

... and therein lies the trouble... had it been dated April 1 and -not- 
March 28, I would have taken it at the Fool's face value.

Asa Jay Laughton, MSgt, USAFR, Retired
&  Shelley Marie
Spokane, WA
******************************
http://www.racingagainstautism.com
http://www.teampanteraracing.com
http://facebook.com/racingagainstautism


On 4/4/2011 11:06 PM, Rick wrote:
>     Glad to hear this....
>
>
>
> SEMA  Action Network Members:
>
>
>
> Some of you may have received notice of an alleged New York Times
> article indicating that legislation was being drafted in the U.S.
> Congress to create a federal tax on collector cars.  Hopefully, most of
> you know by now that the article was an April Fools Day prank.  The
> author has  indicated his regrets for any confusion or embarrassment to
> automobile collectors and enthusiasts caused by the prank.  Below, we
> have included the full text of his letter revealing the hoax.
>
>
>
> Please contact me if I can be of additional assistance.
>
>
>
> Steve McDonald
>
> Vice President, Government Affairs
>
> Specialty Equipment Market Association
>
>
>
>
>
> SENATOR SCHUMER ?TAXING CLASSIC CARS? NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE REVEALED AS
> ONLY AN APRIL FOOL?S PRANK
>
>
>
> The Shelby American Automobile Club?s annual April Fool?s gag reached a
> much wider audience that anyone could have predicted. Initially a
> four-page newsletter was emailed to every member. It contained stories
> about a perpetual motion ?68 Shelby, a ?69 GT350 that supposedly got 40
> miles per gallon and a bogus front page recreation of the New York
> Times, dated March 28th, that had two stories. One was a hoax about
> purported tax legislation being prepared by Sen. Charles Schumer, which
> would tax every collector car, antique, hot rod and race car in the
> country. This was, of course, concocted out of thin air. But it was, on
> the surface, believable and it hit numerous hot buttons of car owners.
>
>
>
> As soon as some SAAC members read this they immediately went into full
> ?Paul Revere mode,? posting the article on a wide variety of Internet
> car forums. Once on those forums, readers swarmed like angry killer
> bees, both posting angry comments about the unfairness of the concept
> and spreading parts and pieces of the original article in emails and
> postings. It was the classic definition of something ?going viral.?
>
>
>
> When readers on some forums recognized the whole thing as an April
> Fool?s joke and posted this, other readers seemed to look right past the
> warnings. We now know how Orson Wells must have felt after his 1938 ?War
> of the Worlds? radio broadcast resulted in traffic jams as panicked
> people tried to flee New Jersey.
>
>
>
> While we enjoy a good April Fool?s prank as much as anyone, we never
> envisioned that this one could spread so quickly or so widely beyond the
> Shelby American Automobile Club. We deeply regret if taking this story
> seriously has caused anyone any undue distress or embarrassment. To keep
> more of that from happening we would greatly appreciate it if you could
> forward this message to as many car enthusiasts as possible. If they
> forward it to others who can forward it to even more people, maybe this
> second message will catch up with and overpower the first one.
>
>
>
> And finally, please do not contact Senator Schumer?s office. He already
> has his hands full with real issues of importance.
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
>
>
> Rick Kopec
>
> Shelby American Automobile Club
>
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