Government Regulation

[lindenbruce]

Okay, I will prolly tick someone off here but I apologize in advance.

You have to be FRACKING KIDDING ME!!! I'm sorry, but more government intrusion only leads to one thing. Taxation WITHOUT representation!!!! In order for there to be a government program, there would need to be taxes and fees to support those individuals overseeing the program. Another worthless bureaucracy telling people what to do and how to do it. The mere thought of further legislation on this sport or any other sport because of a hand full of deaths just totally pisses me off!!! Sorry for my blunt language.

Haven't we already got WAY to much big government now? Congress' approval ratings are in the single digits and someone wants then to prevent just one scuba diving death through legislation? One reason we as a country are in our current mess is stupid "sheeple" keep voting in the same lazy corrupt politicians who only continue to get richer on the backs of hard working taxpayers. It's these same "sheeple" who would welcome mass and wide sweeping government regulations on scuba diving to begin with, under the guise of saving just one person. Do these "sheeple" really think it's going to prevent just one death? If you do I have a prime piece of dry land in the middle of the Louisiana swamps that is for sale. People, there is nothing in writing, expressed or implied, that any one person has a guaranteed right to a long life!!!! However, death IS a guarantee!!!! And that you can take to the bank.

And don't even compare a scuba diving death "here and there" to some homicidal maniac with a gun he stole from his mother AFTER killing her because he couldn't buy one himself and then killed a bunch of people at an unarmed and unprotected school which by the way was government regulated under the safe schools act to begin with!!!!! If you want to blame someone blame the government for that one because it WAS the government that mandated gun free school zones along with spineless school district governing boards who turned a blind eye to possible terrorist attacks on un-protected schools under the guise there were laws preventing guns on school campuses already!!!! Like some law would stop such an event anyway right. I mean, after all, it was the GOVERNMENT saying you can't do that, so it MUST be then that it can no longer happen right? Give me a break. That narrow minded thinking is why we have stupid laws on the books now that can't be enforced already.

What have states done about DUI accidents? They haven't blamed the car have they? No, they rightfully go after the operator of the car. So why go after the scuba industry for the stupid acts of a few individuals who killed themselves doing something they shouldn't have? This is natural section at it's best. Sorry, but that's life. You do something stupid and die in the process, don't blame the tool they used. Just give support to their families in their time of need and make it a point to not do what the dead did so you don't end up dead.

Okay, if I ticked someone off then I apologize. But in reality, if you are ticked off by what I said, it is YOU that has a problem not me. Enough of this garbage. Lets go diving!!!! B.

 

[KD8NPB]

Government regulation to save about 25 lives per year?

You're better off banning candles. (That's not a suggestion)

 

[Bob DBF]

Government regulation to save about 25 lives per year?

You're better off banning candles. (That's not a suggestion)

Or stopping people from running a generator in the house, that would save about 54 lives a year from CO poisoning.



Bob

 

[Peter69_56]

I go with the banning candles idea, it will keep all the politicians busy for 10 years working out the fine detail, thus us divers are free to go dive unimpeded by unworkable, idiotic laws during that period. After that, suggest a law to ban politicians, and they will spend 100 years telling you why it wont work.

Thus problem solved. As you said, lets go diving.

 

[IslandDiversHI]

Details aren't really important, you just need to let them pass the bills so you can find out what's in them.

That is some funny stuff Mike. Also a little scary since it can happen.

 

[Peter69_56]

The most scariest statement to come from a politician "Trust Me"

 

[Rhone Man]

Bad news for you - diving is already regulated in most of the US. If you want to hunt game underwater in most (all?) states, you will require some kind of licence. And that is how what we lawyers call "regulatory creep" begins. It starts with something that a majority of people might regard as sensible - licensing and controlling the hunting and killing of game - and like cancer it just grows and grows and never stops.

If you want my best guess - based on historical precedent - the amount of regulation in diving will continue to grow, probably on a state by state basis rather than at a Federal level. Some well meaning states will introduce regulation that might say - for example - if you want to take other people out diving as a professional business, then you need to be insured. Many states may even already have such regulations. Then that might get pushed a little further - all divers are then required to be personally insured as it is a "risky activity". Then it gets pushed a little further... maybe a ban on diving after consumption of alcohol... and so on and so forth.

I am not saying this to make friends, but this is how it has always been. Look at hunting. 100 years ago anyone could grab a gun, go out and hunt. And bit by bit regulations expand until hunting is now a tightly controlled activity. Lawmakers love making laws and regulations, so they just keep doing it, despite the fact they often do as much harm as good.

For what it is worth, I don't believe that there will ever be any "scuba police". Regulation doesn't work like that. Individual regulations don't get their own law enforcement authorities. And they don't need them. You make a regulation and then businesses will comply with it - otherwise they can't get insurance, they risk having their own business licences pulled, etc., etc.

 

[AfterDark]

I keep fishing w/o a salt water license in RI waters. We have a codified right in our state constitution that recognizes our right as citizens of RI to free access to all water ways within the state and to harvest from those waters. I'm looking for standing to challenge the state salt water license. These licenses were created and sold as to be used for counting the number of fish taken by anglers and now by speros also. All well and good but they need to find a different way to fund it in RI or they need to amend the state constitution. The bill that created the license was passed by over ride vote. The governor vetoed it on the grounds it violated the state constitution. No sh!t!?

I catch the same amount every year zero, I catch and release. I don't eat fish, just catch 'em. The amount we pay in taxes to this criminal enterprise called Rhode Island should more than cover a fish counting program. After all isn't everybody benefiting from having abundant fisheries in the Ocean State? Why should only the fishermen pay?

RI was arm twisted by the feds into passing this law by the lose of federal funds, they caved. PC political cowards.

They'd be just as willing to stick their noses into diving as they are fishing.

 

[slacker88]

Originally Posted by Mike
Details aren't really important, you just need to let them pass the bills so you can find out what's in them.

That is just too funny... Unfortunately because it's true

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Bad news for you - diving is already regulated in most of the US. If you want to hunt game underwater in most (all?) states, you will require some kind of licence. And that is how what we lawyers call "regulatory creep" begins. It starts with something that a majority of people might regard as sensible - licensing and controlling the hunting and killing of game - and like cancer it just grows and grows and never stops.

... but this is true whether the hunter is underwater, or sitting in a boat, or standing on a pier or shoreline. At least in my state the person taking "game" ... whether fish, crabs, shrimp, or whatever ... requires the same license, regardless of whether they're using a speargun, a trap, or a fishing pole.

You might argue that the act of requiring a hunting or fishing license is intrusive, but this in no way applies to the topic of government regulation of scuba diving ... scuba divers are treated the same as everyone else when it comes to harvesting seafood from state regulated waters ... at least, that's how it works in my state ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)