Letters/Online Comments

Re: Kelp farming project could come to Catalina Island (May 5-18 issue)

Should harvest S. horneri

It would seem far smarter to harvest the non-native and highly invasive alga Sargassum horneri that has impacted the waters off Catalina. S. horneri is already used for biofuel and other purposes in its native Asian waters. Its presence here in SoCal has greatly altered the native kelp forest ecosystems in very harmful ways.

Dr. William W. Bushing

 

 Re: California Boater Card: Don’t get behind the wheel (of a boat) without it (April 21-May 4)

 Pathetic politicians

I’ve already taken an online boater safety class 15yrs ago approved by USCG. Now politicians get there sticky fingers into boating. This state is pathetic, new taxes coming your way soon. What they should do is make everyone who buys a boat, or any trailer for that fact take a Drivers License test !!! Boating test, eh ok. The real need is for the donkeys driving to the ramp!!

GL

 Already licensed to drive

If I have a current Coast Guard Captains license, do I really need to get this card?

Ed

 State test is a joke

Ed, now you are getting what the Masters of Towing Vessels felt when we had to take that state test for “Assistance Towing”. It was a joke. The requirements for Licensing should rest with the US Coast Guard, not the state! The boating public is also getting what a lot of Private Pilots got when the Feds discovered that too many were failing the physical. So, they instituted a lesser class than Private Pilot. It still reams you for every dime they can wrest from you while providing a lower level of service. Any time a state gets involved in Licensing you can bet it is for financial gain only. They can care less about the boating public.

Mary K. Riewer

 DBW turning into DMV

Ditto to the above comments plus…The CA Dept. of Boating And Waterways stinks and should be dissolved…They add nothing but providing more cubicle jobs for lazy bums and loafers… Will there be stinky, crowded DMV type offices staffed by morons, where we can go stand in long lines..? Gee I sure hope so, don’t you..? Boat driving licenses… What a swell idea… How DID we ever get by without them all these years..? FIRE THEM ALL..!

Ace Carter-SUPER ANGLER

 Just another way to tax

Just another way for CA Democrats to tax and fine boaters so Jerry Brown can afford to buy you a Crazy Train.

Bob

 Doubting lifetime license

“Valid for life” Don’t bet on it. This is about $$$. The state is billions in the red. If a harbor patrol officer see’s something wrong there’s nothing stopping him from doing his duty. With over 20 years of boating accident free and certificates of class completion from US Power Squadrons and Dept. of Boating & Waterways (too long ago) I’m expected to start over. Couldn’t I just pay them and be on my way? I’ve got just 7 years now to get out of this crooked assed state

Erik

 Government money scam

Just another government money scam. I vote to fire the entire DB&W and anyone else that had anything to do with this money grab. It’s just used to grow the government and give raises to the bums / REAL parasites that are already there,,, for life. Is this the straw that will break our backs? The last $5 or $10 slide into more and more money??? When will we say, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH? Fire them all (left and right, top to bottom). That’s my 2 cents.

Lifelong Sailor Since 1950s Mark

 The end of a tradition

Boating Licenses are just one more nail in the coffin of the Freedom of the Sea! I got my first boat at the age of 4 when my parents bought their first Cruiser. Knowledge and skill used to be the pride of Mariners. I was so proud the day I received my first 100-ton Inspected Passenger License, and my Master of Towing Vessels, and my DDE Engineer’s License and all the other Licenses I earned through sea-time and study. Those were Professional Licenses issued by the US Coast Guard.

Boating was a family activity and kids were encouraged to learn the Rules of the Road and master the skills of powerboats, sailboats, etc. Then boating became more under the scrutiny of the US Coast Guard, it seemed every time you left the slip you would be stopped, boarded, questioned. And the taxes that went with Marine fuel, owning a boat, etc spiked.

The Boating public seemed to lose all voice in government. I still own a house in California, but probably not for much longer. I tire of being the cash cow for illegal immigration, Illegal taxation and heaven forbid I try to enjoy the salary I earn by going out in a boat, going for a dive, going fishing….. , California under the Democrats is like watching Lava pour over the Island of Hawaii. It is just as dangerous, just as tragic, and it is unstoppable. California’s coastal beauty will never die, but the freedom to enjoy it is breathing it’s last.

Will the last true mariner to leave California please turn out the lights and lower the flag? Because the freedom we all used to enjoy is dying an ugly death, fueled by the punitive taxes of envy by those who refuse to produce their fair share. And will someone please tell me why we allow Governor Moonbeam to act as he will without question. We have the right to demand accountability of our Government, so why isn’t anyone doing it? I know I can never live in CA again. I refuse to surrender my Constitutional Rights to those who come here illegally with the collusion of California’s so-called Lawmakers. They are nothing but monkeys in a cage spending their aggression by throwing dung at one another. They do not deserve to hold office. They certainly do not deserve the power to regulate the lives of California’s citizens.

Will the citizens act to defend their rights, or once again capitulate to those who act illegally. With great sadness, I know what the answer will be. American seafarers were once the best in the world. How sad that tradition will end, brought down by those who are no more than jackals. I wonder what will happen when the need comes again for the skills that only Professional Mariners possess. Because the professional licenses start with sea-time. And California’s legislators are taxing that education and experience out of reach!

Mary K. Riewer

 

 Re: Boat launch ramp vendor contract approved despite protest (April 7-20 issue)

Get a clue Castellanos

Somebody clue Castellanos that there already is a wall in San Diego and nothing will change the course of business with Mexico. Blackmailing vendors is wrong and anti America. Who is he serving anyway ? Illegal Aliens?

Dickie Hochhaus