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Old 02-06-2006, 09:56 AM   #1
WolfieBayer
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Exclamation Lets bring in the Coast Guard!!!!!

With Marine Patrol basically being made up of college students looking for a part time job on the lake instead of working at Starbucks, I'm puzzled as to how they are going to enforce a speed limit on the lake. Two summers ago I was fishing with a friend of mine, in a secluded cove with no open traffic lanes close by and Marine Patrol gave my friend a ticket for not having his lights turned on. Instead of saying "Guys, its 20 minutes past the time you need to have your lights on, why don't you turn them on to be safe", these two college boys must have needed to meet their ticket quota for the day. With mentality like this, how will they be able to enforce a law where speedometers on boats are not mandatory nor regulated.

I laugh at the suggestion that people are "afraid" to go on the lakes because of speeding boats. Perhaps we should regulate small boats and canoes and only allow them to venture out 150 feet from shore since the laws regulate the speeds of boats within 150 feet of shore.

Several years ago I watched a boat t-bone another boat..........at the Town Docks. These boats were going headway speed and one boat was sunk. Speed had no involvement here. Another year I watched a boat bring in a person who died from having his leg amputated because the driver of the boat he was in was drunk and slowed his boat abruptly and the victim fell in front of his own boat. And then we have the "Chappaquiddick" incident in Meredith where I'm not convinced speed had anything to do with that either but seems to be a major catalyst for this house bill.

Perhaps for enforcement, if this bill passes the Senate, which I'll do everything in my power to prevent, we should dissolve the Marine Patrol and have the U.S. Coast Guard protect our lakes. They're good at it and probably have the funding to buy more than the 3 radar guns that are reported to be available to Marine Patrol.

There are already regulations pertaining to certain waterbodys whereas you can't have a gasoline powered boat on the water. This not only provides environmental protection for these smaller bodies of water, it also provides a safe haven for canoers, kayakers, etc, etc. If you are afraid and want to go slow, seek out these small ponds and lakes, or simply stay close to shore.

Please don't let this unenforceable bill pass and don't let hype help make up your mind if this is a good thing for the state or not.
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