We can all make mistakes. Some are far reaching and cause concern
for many such as President Obama’s “open mike” statement
to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. During a private conversation
between the two on the last day of a nuclear security summit
in Asia, Obama asked Medvedev for “space and flexibility
on the missile defense issue until after the November election.”
President
Obama’s statement was not that disturbing.
Unfortunately,
it invited GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney to blurt out an alarming
statement that “Russia is the United
States’ No. 1 geopolitical foe.” There was surprise
among the media regarding Romney’s choice of words,
but are we not all aware he puts his foot in his mouth
at least
once a week?
Remember
when he told us he did not care about the poor and the rich
are doing fine? He also learned to regret
saying
President Obama “copied” his state’s
health care plan.
Yet another ridiculous statement was made by Republican National
Committee research director Joe Pounder when he asked Democratic
National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse if he would be
transitioning to the Putin administration because of all the
attention given the statements. How childish can our political
leaders get?
As the Supreme Court reviews and debates the merits of the
Obama Health Care program, we all sit and await how their decision
will affect our future. If a clear decision does not come forth
soon, we may lose more doctors and potential medical students
will chose other areas of study. Soon, no health care program
will work for our country.
On
a local note, before making changes, our state’s politicians
should familiarize themselves with our laws and practices.
Lt. Gov. Brian Calley has placed a limit on law enforcement’s
ability to stop boaters for safety inspections,
including tallying the number of personal floatation
devices
on board if the boat
has passed a safety inspection for the current
year.
Consider this, if a vessel was inspected while two people were
aboard and lifejackets for the two were presented, the boat
may have received a sticker. If that same boat went on the
water with six people on board, should it automatically be
exempt from inspection? Can it be assumed another four PFDs
will be available? Why would any responsible boater object
to an additional inspection? It only takes a few minutes and
would show your family or guests you care about their safety
and have all required equipment on board.
I
wonder if the lieutenant governor realizes the Coast Guard,
a Division of Homeland Security,
contributes
a substantial amount of funds to Michigan’s marine division. Will his
law change require shifting responsibilities from the sheriffs’ departments
back to the Coast Guard? Might this affect
funding received from federal contributors?
As
a boating safety advocate, I have always been supportive
of our sheriff’s marine
deputies. I believe their inspections save
lives and, as
I see it, that is the
objective of the
inspections.
Respectfully,
Mr. Calley I hope you will repeal the part of the law change
that deals
with
vessel inspections
after you
consider its affect on the public’s safety. If you are
a boater on the state’s waterways,
perhaps the Coast Guard will do your vessel
inspection
because your new law
does not apply to them.