Quote:
Originally Posted by Bear Islander
If no boats are going over the speed limit, then nobody is being inconvenienced by a speed limit.
On this forum we repeatedly hear from boaters that the SL is unfair to them. That it limits their ability to enjoy the lake in their way. That the SL is ruining the lakes area economy. If no boats are going faster than the speed limit, how can this be possible?
You can't have it both ways!
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VERY good question. It lead me to do some serious thinking. I am not kidding or being sarcastic by the way. Sometimes these conversations turn sour because of the lack of vocal inflection, tone, etc.
So, I'm sitting here asking myself why the heck do I care? What is it to me? I've repeatedly said that this law does not personally affect me one way or the other. Yes, I happen to have some friends with Fast Boats. For the record I went for a ride on one of their boats once this summer. Personally I enjoyed the ride but after it was over I was like "yeah that was fun but what an impractical boat." This coming from a father of three who enjoys all the cabin space of his bowrider complete with bathroom, sink, and coolers.
It all goes back to the sentiment "to each their own."
I really can't see myself ever owning that style of boat. It doesn't fit my lifestyle. I do happen to like looking at them and I appreciate the owners that are passionate about them. Just like some people who don't own motorcycles and never intend on buying one but just the same enjoy looking at them and appreciate the owners who are passionate about them. Of course then there are the haters. For the record I am not lumping you in with them. They are out there though. Those people who do not understand people's passions outside their own small world. These people seem to be gaining control over our society now. These are the people that want a law to ban anything THEY deem offensive. Everything in the world is offensive to them and they have zero tolerance for anything outside the scope of their narrow vision. Where do I fit in? Well I'm not a huge fan of really, really loud boats, bikes, stereos or cars. However, I can tolerate some noise, some bikes, boats, cars sound really sweet. A select few push the limit and ruin it for everyone. FYI, one of the loudest boats I heard this summer was an old wooden Chris-Craft. I appreciated that this boat has probably been on the lake longer than my entire extended family. Anyway, my feelings on that subject are that there are already laws on the books to address offensive behavior in terms of noise.
Initially I supported a Speed Limit. I swear to god I did. If there is a way to search the old threads before we migrated to this new system you will see that I actually raised the issue of having a Speed Limit on the lake SEVERAL years ago. I remember that at one time we could search the old forum. Does anyone know if we can still do that?
Back then, when I raised the issue I was on the defensive and quite a few people were adamant about the fact that the lake didn't need a speed limit. Similar to today. So I dropped it. I really can't pinpoint when I changed my mind and I can't say if it was one particular issue or not. I think I just couldn't resolve the issue based on my ideology. I feel pretty strongly that laws should be put in place based on facts not emotion. Laws should directly address problems. So I read some, researched some, listened to both sides, listened to neighbors, talked with friends, and finally arrived at my position. I went from supporting the law, to not really caring, to getting really passionate about opposing the law. In the end I do not personally lose here.
So now the question at hand: I'm reading between the lines here but the question you might ask me is, if it doesn't inconvenience me, or any of us for that matter, why should we care.
For me it is a political matter. I have stated it several times in this thread. Maybe I expect too much from elected officials. Maybe I should just accept it and move on. Maybe we should all just accept any and all laws coming out of the statehouse. Again, I just can't do it. The beauty of the USA is that we CAN question the motives of politicians. We CAN participate in discussions like this. We SHOULD hold our elected officials to a higher standards. I will never be convinced that this law was created out of necessity. I will always believe that this initiative does not address any of the problems with the lake. I believe truly that a group of politicians were swayed by fear and emotion.
I see this whole initiative as a huge waste of time, money and resources. It is distracting the focus from what could really work to make the lake safer. Why don't they fund the Marine Patrol adequately. Why don't they crack down on boater licensing. I would favor making all certificates obtained online invalid! That would affect me! I'd have to take a proctored exam. We have laws on the books to address every single problem ever raised on this forum. This law does not specifically address anything. Whether or not you choose to believe it the Director of the Marine Patrol stated that
"there is not a large number of boats that exceeded the speed limit."
This was said before the Speed Limit was enacted.