It’s not officially sanctioned by Pixar or Disney. But I think Scott Leitner’s new sideshow to go with the James Taylor song on the “Cars” soundtrack, “Our Town,” is certainly relevant and is quite moving.

You can view it here. A Windows Media player is required, and it’s a big file (22 MGs).

A critique of the movie “Cars” has just been posted by the Ludwig von Mises Institute, which describes its mission as to “restore a high place for theory in economics and the social sciences, encourage a revival of critical historical research, and draw attention to neglected traditions in Western philosophy.”

The argument presented by the von Mises Institute is well-reasoned. However, I still disagree with the crux of it, which is this:

Pixar’s latest flick, Cars, is kid-friendly, but it has fails to carry over to adults the capitalist themes exposed in previous productions. There are good economic lessons to be learned from the film, but the primary message is little more than a restatement of a conventional theme in politics today: the tendency to bemoan the supposed hidden costs of progress and to romanticize a past that resists innovation and change.

A few key points are ignored or overlooked by the von Mises folks.

First, even Dwight Eisenhower was dismayed by the final shape of his interstate highway system. He wanted superhighways to connect towns, not bypass them completely.

Second, highway design that causes unforeseen economic upheaval is not “progress,” it’s bad highway design.

Third, it was shown clearly in the “Our Town” segment of the film that the residents of Radiator Springs were willing to adapt to the interstate. Remember their initial enthusiasm to the construction of the superhighway and their hoisting of the “Welcome Interstate travelers” banner?

A final point: I’m a proponent of corporate social responsibility. If a big company establishes a manufacturing facility in a town, it in turn has the responsibility to “behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large,” as described by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

An example of heavy industry running amok with no social responsibility is the Route 66 town of East St. Louis, Ill. The city is now impoverished, crime-ridden and a cesspool of toxic chemicals. Read Andrew J. Theising’s “Made in USA: East St. Louis” for more details.

The case of Radiator Springs and dozens of other real-life Route 66 towns is even more onerous — it was the federal government, not corporations, that failed to be consider the social and economic impact of its superhighway.

Here’s a fascinating article from the Charleston (W.Va.) Daily Mail about the 200th anniversary of the National Road, aka U.S. 40.

And it brings up an angle I haven’t heard before: that the National Road withered not because of the interstate, but because of a railroad — decades before the interstate highway system was a sparkle in Dwight Eisenhower’s eye.

… The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which reached Wheeling in 1852, signaled the end of the National Road’s heyday.

The relatively fast, comfortable trains left carriages and ox-drawn wagons in the dust.

Then, in 1927, the National Road got new life as U.S. 40. Inns and taverns gave way to motels and gas stations, which offered new ways to serve new travelers.

Still, the National Road never recovered the allure it had when it teemed with Conestoga wagons and stagecoaches.

The article goes on to say that Route 66 gained prominence over the National Road because of its smart marketing. But the die was cast long before.

I don’t care for camping on Route 66, especially when there are so many swell vintage motels out there.

But I realize there are quite a few travelers to drive recreational vehicles or like to sleep out under the stars. On the Route 66 yahoogroup, I’ve seen a few requests each year for a list of campgrounds on Route 66, but few have been able to make suggestions, except for the occasional KOA site.

Until now.

In the past few days, I compiled a list of campgrounds and RV parks on or near Route 66, including Web sites if applicable. The list is on a separate tab, called “Campgrounds,” at the top of the home page. Just consider this a public service from the hard-working folks at Route 66 News.

I think I’ve provided a decent selection so that campers won’t have to drive far to the next night stop. But bear in mind that I haven’t stayed in any of these places. If you have suggestions of campsites I’ve overlooked, or found one of the places listed here to be abhorrent, let me know at route66news (at) yahoo (dot) com, or leave a message in the comments section.