VtSteve makes some good points, however his statement about having little respect for whiners, selfish ones at that , deserves further comment. Evenstar, in my opinion, has been reepeatedly and angrily denounced for opinions which differ from most of the posters on this forum. Her concerns echo those of many of us who feel that boating on Winni has taken on a "wild west, anything goes" atmosphere. The rancor leveled at her and others who have supported a speed limit for Winni has driven away or kept away those who may have dissenting opinions, again in my opinion. Many, many people have earnestly embraced the 45/25 speed limit as a reasonable solution, and there has been no shortage of "whiners" and melodrama in the anti speed limit camp. A few arguments/issues I've had difficulty with:
1) We should not have a speed limit because there are not enough resources to enforce them. Well in my NH town we have many many miles of road and just 1 or 2 cops to enforce speed limits. I can drive for miles and miles with little expectation of seeing a police cruiser. Does that mean we should repeal all speed limits in town? Obviously not...the speed limit alone is a deterrent for most people.
2) The arguments that a speed limit will unequivably drive business from the state . Many business owners have been proponents of the speed limit because they feel it will improve business and that said wild west atmosphere has in fact driven many power boaters away.
3) That the pro speed limit group has a monopoly on all of the melodrama in this controversy over speed limits on the lake. After the house passed the first speed limit, one objector moaned " if the old man of the mtn were still standing, he would have shed a tear today". Oh brother.
4) A poll showing that the majority of NH people are in favor of speed limits has been dismissed with a variety of specious (and angry, bitter) arguments . Our legislators in the House and Senate are characterized as having been totally bamboozled by the Winnfabs (sometimes referred to as Winncrabs, Winnfarts) crowd. One poster commented that we need to vote these hacks out. Isn't that what happened after the last election with a Senate that rejected speed limits?
5) That this law is really only a thinly disguised way of getting boats/boaters off the lake that they don't like. In reality, reasonable people and their representatives make laws all the time to restrict objectionable behavior that is felt to be inappropriate. For example, we have laws in my town that regulate dogs who bark all night. Have we enacted legislation against dogs/owners that we don't like? Call it whatever you want. And if people object to boats going 70 MPH 150' from the little put put from which they are fishing...well.
Well, enough for now, but to Evenstar, just because you've been singled out and maligned in a forum where you are the minority doesn't mean that no one hasn't noted your sincere committment to what you believe in. Keep up the good work. The speed limit will happen. Maybe people will even slow down enough to ... see the turtles.
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