Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post - "Educating" those danged Winnipesaukee boaters

Fat Jack · 12-05-2005, 11:02 AM

Acres / Bear Lover / Islander,

Notice that virtually no others of the 65-70% of the Granite Staters who want a speed limit on their lakes are bothering to join in this "debate"? (notice the quotes around "debate"?) Don't waste your breath, no one else is. Let these people turn this forum into the region's own go-fast site and talk amongst themselves about the reasons we shouldn't have our speed limit on our lake. It lets them vent.

This reminds of the argument I had with the guy I caught hunting in my back yard a few years back. I allowed bow-hunting at the time, but caught this guy with a muzzleloader. He actually argued with me for ten minutes about how muzzleloaders were just as safe as bows, how careful he was, how he had taken the hunter safety course, etc, etc, etc. Finally, I just said "get off my land and don't come back, even with a bow". He could not grasp the notion that it was my land and I could set the rules, for whatever reason I chose. He wrongly assumed that he could gain the right to muzzleload here by winning an argument with me.

The poll that has these guys so upset was done by a very legitimate polling house and has a statistical accuracy of 4%. 66% (plus or minus 4%) of the registered voters in NH answered "Favor" to the question "Do you favor or oppose a law that would impose speed limits for boats on large lakes in New Hampshire?". There was no misleading and no chance for re-interpretation here...the question was very simple and direct. Only 22% (plus or minus 4%) answered "Oppose". Even 68% of the Republican voters that these people claim to represent answered "Favor" (as I would have). And after all of the statewide publicity that this bill generated over the year, it's hard to fathom that these respondents did not know what "law" this question was alluding to.

I also have to wonder why these people are not publicizing the results of the poll they had done? but then, I guess it must have just told them the same thing (plus or minus 4%).

And it's interesting to see how they are now poo-pooing the RR&D recommendation that they wooed so vigorously and unsuccessfully. This group of dedicated and qualified legislators studied this bill intently for 10 months, held numerous public hearings and public and private meetings, read thousands of letters, emails, and publications, and did not just recommend passage of HB162, but broadened and strengthened it to include all lakes and to attach violations to the offender's driving record. And they did this in bi-partisan fashion, with 3 of the 13 Republican members voting to support the strictest version. What a statement!

And it is so interesting to look back at last spring's threads and compare the shift in the debate from the non-compromising "no limits" to the compromising "why 45?". What came so resoundingly out of this summer's study, from both sides, was the indisputable fact that current laws, like the 150' rule that has been on the books for forty years and the certification course that is already in effect for virtually every last one of these arguers, are not working. And that the current MP strategy is not working. And that the safety department is out of touch with what is happening on and to this lake. While the safety director made clear that he saw no problems that needed fixing, the populace screamed out that Winnipesaukee is just an accident waiting to happen if some meaningful changes are not made now.

Now let them vent...its good for them. But they can't hunt on my land, even with a bow.

12-05-2005, 11:02 AM	#2
Fat Jack Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 183 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Why bother? Acres / Bear Lover / Islander, Notice that virtually no others of the 65-70% of the Granite Staters who want a speed limit on their lakes are bothering to join in this "debate"? (notice the quotes around "debate"?) Don't waste your breath, no one else is. Let these people turn this forum into the region's own go-fast site and talk amongst themselves about the reasons we shouldn't have our speed limit on our lake. It lets them vent. This reminds of the argument I had with the guy I caught hunting in my back yard a few years back. I allowed bow-hunting at the time, but caught this guy with a muzzleloader. He actually argued with me for ten minutes about how muzzleloaders were just as safe as bows, how careful he was, how he had taken the hunter safety course, etc, etc, etc. Finally, I just said "get off my land and don't come back, even with a bow". He could not grasp the notion that it was my land and I could set the rules, for whatever reason I chose. He wrongly assumed that he could gain the right to muzzleload here by winning an argument with me. The poll that has these guys so upset was done by a very legitimate polling house and has a statistical accuracy of 4%. 66% (plus or minus 4%) of the registered voters in NH answered "Favor" to the question "Do you favor or oppose a law that would impose speed limits for boats on large lakes in New Hampshire?". There was no misleading and no chance for re-interpretation here...the question was very simple and direct. Only 22% (plus or minus 4%) answered "Oppose". Even 68% of the Republican voters that these people claim to represent answered "Favor" (as I would have). And after all of the statewide publicity that this bill generated over the year, it's hard to fathom that these respondents did not know what "law" this question was alluding to. I also have to wonder why these people are not publicizing the results of the poll they had done? but then, I guess it must have just told them the same thing (plus or minus 4%). And it's interesting to see how they are now poo-pooing the RR&D recommendation that they wooed so vigorously and unsuccessfully. This group of dedicated and qualified legislators studied this bill intently for 10 months, held numerous public hearings and public and private meetings, read thousands of letters, emails, and publications, and did not just recommend passage of HB162, but broadened and strengthened it to include all lakes and to attach violations to the offender's driving record. And they did this in bi-partisan fashion, with 3 of the 13 Republican members voting to support the strictest version. What a statement! And it is so interesting to look back at last spring's threads and compare the shift in the debate from the non-compromising "no limits" to the compromising "why 45?". What came so resoundingly out of this summer's study, from both sides, was the indisputable fact that current laws, like the 150' rule that has been on the books for forty years and the certification course that is already in effect for virtually every last one of these arguers, are not working. And that the current MP strategy is not working. And that the safety department is out of touch with what is happening on and to this lake. While the safety director made clear that he saw no problems that needed fixing, the populace screamed out that Winnipesaukee is just an accident waiting to happen if some meaningful changes are not made now. Now let them vent...its good for them. But they can't hunt on my land, even with a bow.