Like to hear what some of you all think on this subject. I enjoy tipping a few but wait till I’m off the water. Here in Iowa they have gotten tougher than years past. A problem I see is that I think those cans are going to the bottom of the river now much more than before vs. put in a sack and taken home. I not sure what the answer is here.
Drinking and boating don’t mix just like drinking and driving a car don’t mix. If you are caught drinking and boating it counts on your driving record as a DUI or DWI which means your insurance company will drop you and you will pay 600.00-700.00 dollars per month for risk auto insurance. Plus a lose of drivers licence for awhile and some jail time. The laws are really getting tough on this.
I agree Bill with you totally, but what do you think about the pollution problem that I am sure is going on. Guys are hiding the evidence on the bottom of the river.
I feel that by littering they are ruining Gods beautifull creation-our rivers and lakes. If they love the water so much than why are they doing something to harm the water? Our rivers and lakes will only be as clean as ”we” make it. It is man who helps to keep in clean and it is man who dumps garbage and chemicals or sewage into it. It we don’t take care of it we will be fishing, boating, water skiing, and swimming in garbage, not clean water. It is all in our hands, we will determine what kind of playground we will be playing in, garbage water or clean water.
I AGREE boating and beer don’t mix. I see way to much of it here at Saylorvile not only in boats,, mostly on lake lice ( jet skys) major problem here how about where you are???
Exactly…….well said Bill……
One day a couple years ago I was driving my boat from the ramp at Hoskala [sp] going around the point headed to the bay where Diggers bait shop is in Lake City and this jet sky comes racing towards me from the swimming beach area as to run into me because I was in the bay area where he was. I was out at least 500 feet from the beach. This nut was in his 50’s too. On the other side of the coin I have had jet skiers stop and push my boat of a small sand or mud bar in the back channel that I managed to find the hard way. It’s just like everything else, some people are kind to others and some are not. Bill
Beer cans and litter is one of my pet peevs! But on the trout streams, especialy the Root River from Preston to Whalan it’s not the boaters that are bad but the inner tubers. The beer cans and garbage that tubers are throwing in the water will destroy the fishing in this river.
John Eggers
FTR Pro-Staff
[email protected]
It up to us Bill to set the example. Keep it up! Alot of youngsters watching and listening. More than we know. There is always going to be a few bad apples, but I think there are a bunch of good ones, maybe quiet but leading by example.
We have more ”positive power” than we could ever imagine just by ”our example.” You are right, children learn by watching other people. Its like Hawger said about fisherman can become role models for others as they will copy what the see. We can change things for the better just by making positive changes in ourselves.Lets become role models for others to learn from and copy.
To be honest,i have to say that I have never been in favor of the morality police I am 60 yrs old and a retired cop and I think a person has the right to do what they wish as long as you don,t violate the rights of others.Some states let you have a beer when driving but if caught intoxicated it will cost you dearly.that also goes for lake lice they should be able to use them as long as they do not violate the rights of others,their is no dought that enforcement is difficult,but to punish all for the mistakes of a few is not the answer. thats what made this country great.many of our rights have been eroded by government in the name of self rigthess do gooders
The self-righteous do-gooders are usually the one’s doing the yelling, but they’re not the one’s eroding government and our priviledges. It’s the lack of ownership, responsibility, and respect that exists in our country today that erodes it. We’re all bent on this “Live and let live” attitude, when in fact, some of those views are endangering us and our resources. “Well, those are just a few bad apples”…….. yeah, that may be true, but those bad apples are the ones loading the guns for your “self-righteous do-gooders” and as long as example breeds future and these actions (of the bad apples) are claimed to be their right of excercise, there will become more and more of them and what threats they pose will continue to exist.
Rules and laws are set in an effort to allow things at certain levels to allow all of us excercisable rights at an established level of safety. When certain lines get tough, they leave it to us to figure out. Along comes some yahoo, pushes the limits, the boundaries, and someone turns into a victim. Isolated incident, story published. 100 yahoos see the idea and try it themselves, 43 (hypothetically chosen #) more victims. It snowballs, and the innocent get tired of putting up with abuse. So the meetings and clubs and orgainzations form and follow up with lobbying, protests, publicity, on and on……….until a law gets changed. Usually, the only way to prevent further occurance is to establish abstainance, which can be done many ways. Next thing you know, we’re all talking about “the good ol’ days when………..” and the truth is because of the bad apples…………not the self-righteous, do-gooders.
Someone somewhere is always trying to push the envelope and get away with something……………..welcome to our human condition. Until we change the values for community, instead of individuality, this process of “losing rights” is going to continue and I challange anyone to live even 10 more years and prove me wrong on this. It’s historical situation being repeated through ignorance. Don’t blame the church, look inside. The ugly stains exist in every one of us, without exception. It just boils down the the choices we make to determine the outcome, and some aren’t as good at it compared to others.
Take care of the little things and the big things usually will take care of themselves. I see alot of abuse going on around me and I’m not sure what the answer is, so I fall back on trying to take care of the little things. Somebody else said this but I have it on my wall at work: “Success is not a destination, it is a journey.” Take care of the small things.
Hi all, thought I would post my feelings here. I enjoy a beer now and then ,sometimes on the water sometimes off. I don’t go out and get drunk though. a cool one,or two are ok in my book but if your drunk and indangering your life and others you deserve to be busted. Now how about those larger boats that one sees out and about with people sitting up on the bridge with a nice cool tanquray tonic,or margarita’s and umbella drinks??? At least the beer (Leinies) of course is great with brats. Oh yea it’s boats and beer not brats and beer, Steve
OK guys, I’ve just read all these posts, and have to tell you I don’t drink and drive either, on water or land, unless it’s a soda or coffee of something like that HOWEVER I have a guy that fishes with me regularily who overloads on beer….and sometimes it is his boat we are in. So, is this a MN law…no drinking and driving on the water? I hope someone says yes because that’s my ammmo to stop this guy from hauling any more beer cans into my boat. Anybody care to answer?
Check out the DNR site..there is a book on boating rules and regulations..It is a must read if you fish the river..It is Not illegal to have beer in your boat. But to operate it in an impaired state will get you in a heap of violations..Check out the book….
I’m with Old Ranger on this one (*surprise*). I agree heartily with StillaKid that irresponsibility is the hinge on which accidents happen – sometimes with deadly results. How best to go about changing behaviour?
I think that open container and drunk driving laws abrogate responsibility. If someone is loaded and injures or kills someone, it is a manslaughter case or unlawful injury case, pure and simple. They should face liability in the court system, and the circumstances should be no different than if they brought about the same results while playing with a loaded gun, dropping rocks off of bridges trying to hit boaters, or any other stupid rediculous thing that irresponsible people would do.
Should the law treat us all as though we are 5 year-olds? Fifty-one percent of the people screaming to ban alchohol could best be described as an angry mob. People coming out against it would be labeled as ‘irresponsible and dangerous’ even though our habits are entirely the opposite.
I would not be willing to create laws that dictate the behaviour of everyone when it is a few bad eggs, who are already criminally liable, that are the target. That being said, I do drink beer (responsibly) when I’m not driving the boat.
People who litter should be put in the stocks at the ramp, and the rest of us allowed to throw leftover bait at them.
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