I decided today to buy a MacGregor 26M. I really didn't give it any thought,
I just felt like I'd buy one. Boy, am I ever sorry! What a waste! The thing
is a pile of crap. It doesn't sail well at all, it's not very weatherly,
it's rather cheap and flimsy. To top it off, it doesn't motor well or at
least not as well as a real motor boat. All in all, it's a shabby affair.

But, the thing of it is everybody should give me kudos for deciding. After
all, it's better to decide than to just remain undecided. At least I
decided. That's something, isn't it? I deserve credit for being able to
decide, don't I? Never mind I didn't bother basing my decision on facts,
research, knowledge, needs and desires. Those things don't matter, do they?

Just what the heck am I getting at? Well, try substituting the words try,
tried, trying for decide, decided and deciding. It will shed some light on
why it is equally stupid to give kudos to somebody for trying as if trying
is something to laud. Both deciding and making a poor decision based on how
you felt or thought you felt, and trying without basing your try upon study,
research, practice, know-how, paying attention to good advice etc. are just
plain stupid. Yet there are plenty of people these days who seem to think
any old try is credit worthy as evidenced by several posts in these groups.
How did it come to this? It came to this through embracing liberal tenets.

I've often stated that liberals will fail when it comes to sailing,
especially ocean voyaging. It seems my statements have been born out time
after time. Those who succeed without fuss are always conservatives while
those who brag and make a spectacular failure worthy of a rescue are the
liberal thinkers who go off willy-nilly without proper thought or
preparation because they feel that trying, even if it results in failure, is
an accomplishment of which to be proud. And those of you who support them
are a big part of the problem.

Wilbur Hubbard