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From: Ed Kelly (no email)
Date: Sun Jun 17 2007 - 08:39:42 EDT
WOW Steve,
Lets think twice about this. Without faulting your motive and goal, I
sure do not want to see boating proficiency tests and licensing. I
hope this does not start a flame war, but it could make a perfect
troll for starting one on this list - as mandatory insurance and
other stuff has in the past.
The bureaucracy and costs would be high without improving safety. I
used to be a prosecutor (first as a state - later federal) and can
vouch that most licensing is a joke - more of a tax than protection
anymore - but it is real expensive for the public. They usually find
unlicensed folks only after an accident or a police stop. Do you
really want a boat policeman checking everyone coming out of the
marina to insure they have their boat driver's license on them? How
else could you enforce it? Are we a lot safer that all boats are
licensed by the state or federal govt? And trust me, they would say
sailboats can be just as dangerous, so sailors would not be exempted.
If there is proficiency testing, it will be a cash cow for the
government. Boaters alone will be responsible for paying for it. Do
we need a $40 a year relicensing fee to be safe? Because soon, many
will say only the boaters benefit from it since most members of the
public are not on the water, and would want boaters only to carry the
whole cost of both our licensing and our boat safety programs and
fees would rise as they will need to hire more boat police to help
enforce the law and check for licenses.
Though we do have drivers licensing for cars. It does not stop the
unlicensed from operating without license or insurance. There are
tons of illegals doing so. But they only catch a few who have had an
accident or done something else wrong, so it really does not improve
safety.
Even with your own auto diver's licensing, think about it. We all
took a drivers license test at least once, but if you get a license
the first time after a test (usually at age 16) - after spending a
half a day - from then on you go in every couple years and just pay
again and again and again without being tested. You are left with
just the bureaucracy. Do we really need folks that protect our
airports from terrorists to "protect" us boaters on the water too?
If you want more 'safety', just give the USCG more money and they can
do more vessel checks of those crazy boaters who do not follow the
law presently.
Ed
USSV ENJOUE,
Ed & Sue Kelly
at Herrington Harbour North, just South of Annapolis
To see our boat, go to www.google.com, click on MAPS, and then enter
the following line:
38.772806, -76.563211
In text (pasting it in is easy if you know how to cut from above
and paste) onto the GOOGLE, then click Maps & enter in the search blank.
It should show Latitude 38°46'22.10"N Longitude 76°33'47.56"W
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