Auto Mechanics and Blacksmiths

My favorite uncle, God rest his soul, was also the neighborhood auto mechanic.  He lived across the street from me and was married to my mother's sister.  Not only was his property home of a pear orchard and massive vegetable garden, it was also the site of a field large enough to be turned into a baseball field for us kids during the summer. No organized spots in those days, just kids canvasing the neighborhood going from door to door trying to recruit enough friends to get two teams together.
On this property was also two large barns, one which was transformed into my uncles auto repair garage.  He had a full time job working at his brother's garage, but back in the day their was no shortage of work and he wood not turn down a neighbor or church parishioner if the old Chevy needed a spark plug.
I do digress, sorry.  Today vehicles are all computerized and gone are the talented mechanics, never mind the small businessman who could never support himself and family the way my Uncle did, including paying for my cousin to attend and graduate Boston College.
Big Auto not unlike Big Government would like to see the remaining small garage owners put out of business and for us to depend only on them when a car needs repairs.
Just for the record, by Uncle died two years ago at the age of 81, my cousin lives on the property, the baseball field is still their yet hardly used......................

Senate pressing first-in-nation auto repair bill

 

The organization lobbying for the bill appeared to be the first to learn about the Senate’s plans, posting on Facebook Monday afternoon that the Senate had scheduled a Thursday vote on the bill. That organization, the Right to Repair Coalition, encouraged aftermarket companies to contact senators and urge them to back the proposal. Proponents say manufacturers often refuse to share critical diagnostic information about their vehicles, forcing consumers to obtain more costly repairs directly from them, rather than from independent repair shops.
“The driving public in Massachusetts overwhelmingly supports Right to Repair because it is fair,” said Art Kinsman, spokesman for the Right to Repair Coalition, in a statement. “Consumers deserve to know that they will save time and money now, rather than wait for the November ballot to be treated fairly by the big automobile manufacturers.”
Opponents say the bill, which has failed to advance in any other state as well as in Congress, is a gambit by aftermarket parts dealers to gain access to privileged repair information in order to manufacture cheap knock-offs.
Critics of the legislation, including major auto companies like Ford, General Motors and Honda, say they were caught off-guard by the Senate’s move, which came as lawmakers on the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure had suggested they were seeking a compromise among industry stakeholders.