Follow the money...
What I want to know is, where and how did this proposal come to be? Was it started by the CG or was it brought forth by someone in the legislature? I'd be willing to bet you dollars to donuts that some lobbyist representing a boating equipment manufacturers organization put a bit of money in the right persons pockets to get the ball rolling, all with the hope of increasing profits from the sale of PFDs, especially the more expensive and comfortable models. Money and power are the two things that are sought by all who govern us, and it seems that, generally speaking, they have few qualms about how they come to get it. A few people have said that they feel it is okay for mandatory PFD usage for children, and I would tend to agree, as their decision making ability is not yet fully developed and they must therefore count on adults to make some decisions for them. The thing is, government views all of us as children, in their minds they are superior to us and therefore they must watch over us. This is evident in the vast majority of laws that now affect our everyday lives, we're not at the start of a 'slippery slope', we're in the middle of it! What's really sad is the fact that it is entirely our own fault, for not only have we allowed this to happen but we have fostered and promoted this mind-set and behavior by letting it occur in little steps. Slowly but surely, our Constitution has been eroded in so many ways that it only exists now as a reminder of the way that our founding fathers had hoped we would live our lives, responsibly and free. Just look at few examples; the McCain/Feingold bill essentially eliminated the First Ammendment, all of the abuse suffered by the Second Ammendment, your right to be free from the government meddling in your personal affairs is overwritten by the IRS, the list just goes on and on. Mandatory use of PFDs is just one more small step towards the ultimate goal of 'virtual enslavement' of the people of our country, and that goal is a lot closer at hand that you may think. Each generation has been conned into going along with a bit more infringement on their God-given rights, always with a promise of greater 'safety' , which of course never quite happens. Is there anything we can do to stop this abuse and undo the harm that has already been done? Probably not, as it has been allowed to go on for so long that reversing the process would be impossible, and there are few amongst us with the desire and fortitude for another revolutionary war. We've grown accustommed to the 'bread and circuses' that they give us and will blindly and begrudgingly continue to trade our freedoms for more of the same. So, enjoy what freedoms the government still allows you to have and know that your children and their children will likely not be so fortunate, as there is still a good bit of room on the 'slippery slope'.
