wrote:
I was invited to run down to Olympia this evening to testify about
WA State Senate Bill 5145, mandatory boater education.

Fun experience.

Got a kick out of the way one legislator in particular used the minor
committee hearing forum to be a genuine drama queen.

Yep, many of these guys manipulate almost everything. It's no wonder
that public debate has sunk to such a low level. And these type of
committee hearings used to where the bulk of legislative input was
collected, nowadays it's more efficient to have lobbyists simply hand in
drafts

He asked the law enforcement officer who testified immediately before I
did whether a requirement that boaters carry education cards would just
be another excuse for the police to interfere with private taxpayers
enjoying a day on the water.


It would be nice if there was a way to print a boaters endorsement code
on your drivers license, instead of having to carry around yet another
card. I don't have any room in my wallet for money!



If this passes, Washington will join the majority of states in
requiring some degree of education before legally operating a boat.


A two edgedd sword IMHO. The problem is not lack of legislation, it's
spotty enforcement and low motivation on the part of those who cause the
problems.

Fair Skies
Doug King

On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 09:02:15 -0500, DSK wrote:

~~ snippage ~~

A two edgedd sword IMHO. The problem is not lack of legislation, it's
spotty enforcement and low motivation on the part of those who cause the
problems.

Interesting you should say that.

When CT cranked their system up ten years ago, nothing in the marine
law books changed - except that everybody now has to have a
certificate that proves that they've taken a course that illustrates
what the laws are and how they are applied.

Did it affect boating safety? No. We have the same amounts of
accidents, lawless behavior and marine discourtesy as always. In
fact, arrests have decreased.

The state, however, gets $25 more dollars per new boater to put into
the general fund.

Later,

Tom