NANNY STATE AT IT'S FINEST

NEALZ NUZE ^ | 1 August 2008 | NEAL BOORTZ

[Turret Gunner A20]

A man in Minneapolis by the name of Tom Kleven is training for a triathlon. You know ... the bike, swim, run ... an exhausting physical accomplishment. So on Tuesday night Tom goes to Lake Nokomis to go for a swim.

When he returned to shore, there are Minneapolis Park Police waiting for him. They are waiting because they wanted to cite Tom with a violation for "swimming too far."

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S529469.shtml?cat=1 p>

Tom was attempting to swim shore to shore, but when he got half way across the lake, a lifeguard ordered him to turn around. When he returned, the officers cited him for a misdemeanor for an unauthorized beach-swim. He now faces a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

In the future, if Kevin wants to swim across the lake, he has to go to the government to obtain a $115 permit. Then when he wants to swim, he must be escorted by a lifeguard and a boat while he swims across the lake.

Unbelievable.

[fr_freak]

That is what the article quoted basically said. You can’t swim across that body of water until you paid up front and someone was there to rescue you if you had a problem.

That is what the article said, and I don't agree with it. You should be able to swim across that body of water all you want without getting any permits or paying anything up front, or having someone supervise you. If you have to be rescued, then you should get billed. That way, we don't have to go around asking government for permission every time we want to do something.

[Turret Gunner A20]

Its finest, not it’s finest.

So write Meal a letter about it; it's his headline, not mine.

[Turret Gunner A20]

And just why should the families of irresponsible idiots be made responmsible for the idiot’s bloody foolishness?

[SatinDoll]

“...You should be able to swim across that body of water all you want...If you have to be rescued, then you should get billed...”

You pay to play. No use delaying payment to your grieving family. That would be cruel. If you’re such a jerk that you’re capable of doing something to eliminate yourself from the gene pool, hopefully your progeny inherited some common sense and will learn not to be as stupid as dear old Dad.

[fr_freak]

You pay to play. No use delaying payment to your grieving family. That would be cruel. If you’re such a jerk that you’re capable of doing something to eliminate yourself from the gene pool, hopefully your progeny inherited some common sense and will learn not to be as stupid as dear old Dad.

Wow - that's quite an emotional reaction. Why would this subject have such an emotional component for you?

So anyone who swims in a lake, or hikes in the mountains, or sails in the ocean, where it involves some level of risk, is a jerk? Who are the good guys? The couch potatoes? Are the soldiers that we have overseas jerks for taking the risks they do? Many of those guys are also the same guys who would push themselves to train for a triathalon, and partake of other activities that entail risk.

As for the paying, if you die, recovery costs may be taken out of your estate, but your family can't inherit that debt. So what's the difference if you pay it up front or if it is taken out of your estate? Either way, it's gone.

[Freedom4US]

How can one be “free” but have to pay “money”? I’m just sayin’.

[fr_freak]

How can one be “free” but have to pay “money”? I’m just sayin’.

In the context of my post, I meant that I would prefer the taxpayers fund the rescue efforts and there be no restrictions on the activities that people can engage in, including swimming across the lake, rather than ban all such activities in the name of saving the taxpayers' money.