RCE wrote:
wrote in message
...

On 17 Feb 2006 08:41:13 -0800, wrote:



http://www.townhall.com/opinion/colu...17/186976.html


I can remember when Md was "the free state". I guess those days are
long gone.

I notice they don't have an upper limit on the size of the boat. I
guess the QE 2 will never go to Baltimore. Can you imagine making all
those rich people wear PFDs in the chow line and even when they are
sitting in their cabins.
How about the president and his party out on the sequoia?
The crew of navy ships when they stray into the bay?
The government is clearly out of control.



Whenever I hear the phrase, the "Dumbing of America" *this* is the stuff
that comes to my mind.
You *will* conform, you *will* do as we say, or you *will* pay the price
that *we* decide upon.


RCE (back to "discussing" a few things with Sam)




Totally agree that compulsion over personal stuff is wrong, but the
trouble is there are so many nuff nuffs around we all suffer. When they
come unstuck we all get lumbered with the bill. Whether it's hugely
expensive & dangerous to the rescuers searches, often when it's well
clear it's just to recover the bodies at best, so the family can feel
better. Or we get stuck with the medical costs of trying to fix them.

This PFD wearing seems to be the new "thing" though, this is our first
season since our new law has applied (& the water police are red hot on
enforcement).

Here downunder the basic law is;
anyone on board, any age etc
Any boat underway &
Under 4.6 mtrs (16ft)&
while on open deck (if inside a cabin not required)

Boats over 4.6 but under 12mtrs (39.3ft)
don't need to wear unless certain things are happening, like crossing a
bar, out in a gale warning, or on board alone etc etc there's a few of them.

So mostly the laws don't bother boats bigger than a runabout & boats
over 12mtrs are exempt.

Here we don't have the piers, wharves, berths you have so use our
dinghies lots & I can tell you having to don a jacket every time I get
in the dinghie is a total pain in the arse!!! It's obviously a hot place
& they're hot, really hot.

At the same time they brought this law in they increased out fire
extinguisher sizes (I had to get 2 X 4.5KG dry powder, expensive!!!!
because fuel capacity exceeds 350ltrs) & removed the flare exemption
from protected waters, bays, lakes etc.

I hate intrusion as you do but if they're elected I guess that's
democracy at work. No denying seat belts, crash helmets for bikes etc
have saved lives (not mine) so .......................... :-(

K