For the second time this week, I saw a sports vehicle with a handicap parking tag. It always amazes me that a disabled person can be capable of driving a fast sports car. Perhaps this is a reflection of my narrow-mindedness, but doesn’t it seem odd to see a Nissan 300Z (manual transmission) sport the universal man-in-wheelchair logo on its plates and rearview mirror?

While the rules that govern distribution of the handicap permit vary by state, the general qualifications are similar. I believe that you must meet one or two of the following criteria:

• Inability to walk at least 200 feet without stopping to rest
• Use of portable oxygen
• Diagnosis of NYS Class III or IV heart failure
• Diagnosis of COPD, either end-stage or severely limiting.
• Wheelchair bound

The list continues with about a dozen more criteria, but I don’t believe that any of those disabilities actually prevent you from being able to work a clutch on a fast car.

The driver of the Nissan 300Z was a middle-aged man wearing thick-cut jeans and a flannel shirt. He didn’t seem like the heart failure type, and he wasn’t obese either. He did, however, light up a cigarette on his way out of the car to the Papa John’s pizza store.

Ah, the luxuries we have in the U.S…

medicine medicine, rant