Harry Krause wrote:
Dave wrote:
On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 20:05:03 GMT, (Norm) said:
I bet in the end the cost of maintaining all of these waterways will
be passed down to the people who use them. "User Fees". If you pass
thru, you pay a fee. It will soon be too expensive for most of us.
Back to being a rich man's sport? That will also solve some of the
pollution problems and most importantly, we lose some more of our
freedom. There are lots of places that ban anchoring or you have to
pay a fee to anchor. The ICW is most likely next in line to see these
user fees passed down to boaters.
Let's all hurry and jump in to defend boaters' divine right to have the
costs of their sport paid from the taxpayers' pockets. That's the American
way. Having to pay your own freight would be downright unAmerican.
I vote to have the thousands of dollars of my tax payments going over to
Iraq and being flushed down that toilet instead be used for maintenance
of the ICW.
The ICW was paid for by tax dollars, so it belongs to 'the public.'
The public benefits by licensing commercial use. The revenues
defrays the cost, and consumers benefit from having an alternative
shipping route, energising competition and the 'free market.' The
ICW is also a somewhat secure inside passage for defence purposes,
another public benefit, if somewhat obsolete.
Can you imagine those so numberous barges on the outside in weather?
Do previously licensed business users have rights to expect
continuation of licensing? Who would be liable to a lawsuit for
lost business if negligent maintenance should cause losses? What a
convenience to some businesses about to go belly up, eh?
It must and will be supported by tax dollars either way, unless some
government decision decides that the people of the public are liable
or have no right to the continued benefits of tax invested in this
public utility infrastructure, at which point, the politicians who
voted for that should be pilloried, stripped of their jobs,
pensions, even their trousers. I will donate one set of stocks and
one bushel basket of switches, anyone else?
Iraq belongs to the Iraqis. U.S. out!
Terry K