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posted to rec.boats
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Bill to ban "teak surfing" introduced in WA State
wrote:
Reggie Smithers wrote:
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Chuck,
The reason teak surfing is popular is very few people who do it are
killed or end up in the hospital. If 25% - 50% of the people who teak
surfed died, it would no longer be popular.
Yes there are some who do die or go to the hospital, but the vast
majority survive, and if the CO damages brain cells, they are too stupid
to realize it.
I really don't care if they make it illegal, but any parent who owned a
boat and did not let the kids know the danger is just as dumb as the
kids. Drugs are illegal and they are still used and abused.
I for one wished they would legalize all drugs. All illegal drugs do is
create a very profitable business for criminals, force drug users to
commit crimes to support their expensive habits and divert police
resources to fight a war we will never win. It didn't work for alcohol,
it isn't working for drugs.
Making Teak Surfing illegal will not eliminate teak surfing anymore than
making drugs illegal eliminated drug abuse.
--
Reggie
Using your drug analogy: When was the last time you heard of a syringe
manufacturer being sued by the surviving family of an OD'd addict
because some junkie used the rig to shoot himself to death? You don't-
and the reason is because the use of heroin is illegal.
Manufacturers and insurance companies usually aren't liable for damages
done to people who are not only using the product unwisely, but
illegally. (That's been the central argument in a lot of successful
defenses by firearms companies as well).
Without a law against teak surfing, a lot of these ignorant parents
will go to court after a son or daughter is killed by the activity and
a lot of ignorant judges and juries will award millions or hundreds of
millions of dollars damages. We will all see that in our insurance
bills, it might even result in the redesign of boat exhaust....(how
about a 7-foot vertical dry stack on every runabout? how about the
elimination of swim platforms entirely?)....and the greatest impact of
these idiots sucking in exhaust while hanging onto a swim platform will
be the cumulative effect on the rest of society rather than the tragic
death of an uninformed or reckless kid.
If you can't support making it illegal so that law enforcement can
force the activity to stop when observed and save a few lives along the
way, perhaps you might consider supporting
such a law to save the rest of the boating public a lot of money and
additional government interference in the pastime.
A law against teak surfing only affects those idiots who want to do it.
And their friends and families. A bunch of them will do it anyway, (and
their deaths will be a tragedy), but if they're doing something illegal
when they die it is less likely to blow back on the legal and
comparatively safe aspects of the pastime that are enjoyed by millions.
Pros: 1. A few deaths might be prevented by law enforcement
2. It will make it harder to sue boat manufacturers
3. Less chance of unnecessary and goofy mandatory boat
modifications
Cons: There will be a new law that restricts a dangerous behavior that
isn't constitutionally protected and that you, I, and 99% of people
would never consider engaging in, anyway.
Chuck,
I have no problem if they pass the law or not. My comments were that it
really would not reduce those who are performing the idiotic stunt.
Today, I think all boats warn about CO problems, especially on the sun
deck or teak deck. They put a yellow sticker warning about the problem
and it makes it much harder to sue the mfg'er. They also warn about the
prop. They also place a warning in the owners manual.
What the law will do is to collect money from the truly idiotic, and I
have no problem with that. It will help pay for the DNR or police.
--
Reggie
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That's my story and I am sticking to it.
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