For Everyone Who Enjoys Recreation On The Water, A Boating License Is Critical

It is a safe bet that almost no one is in favor of taxes, regardless of what is being taxed. Still, responsible citizens realize there has to be a means for the government to generate revenue in order to provide services. For those who enjoy being out on the water, a boating license helps pay to keep the possibility available.

There are areas and reasons why individuals might prefer to do their boating in uncharted and uncontrolled areas of rivers and lakes, but for most of us, control is better. When we take our family down to the lake, we want it to be a reasonable safe experience where we can have fun and not worry about situations more dangerous than that normally associated with water activities. We also want there to be the reasoned control of authority to prevent the mischievous few from disturbing the behaving many.

Water sports are great fun and we engage in these activities often without realizing the preparation of the area. We expect that if there is any condition that would make our pleasure ride unsafe, someone will have identified it and either correct it or warn us in advance. Likewise, we want someone monitoring for the unusual presence of dangerous sharks or even stinging jelly fish.

We take for granted there will be someone to help us learn safe boating. We believe there will be someone to ensure that individuals do not take unsafe vessels out into our pathway. We hope that someone will be watching to ensure no one gets too close to the animals and hurts or harasses them.

Even getting our boat into the water and ready for our adventure requires considerable infrastructure to be in place and in operating order. Someone has to build the facilities, man them and ensure the consumables are brought in for our convenience. All of our parks and recreation areas meet exacting standards and all of that requires revenue to maintain.

Water safety programs are encompassing and require resources to execute. Everything from floatation devices to wildlife education courses are part of the experience we have come to believe will always be available. These programs play a major role in the prevention of injury and death on the water, and reduces costs by minimizing rescue and recovery operations.

When the unthinkable happens, we know someone will come to our rescue and get us back to shore safely. Even the physical structure of the lakes, rivers and shores require attention and care to preserve. The natural effects of wind, rain, snow melts and tides impact and erode the banks of the bodies of water we take for granted. Taking care of them requires complex engineering analysis and construction projects on a regular basis.

For those who not only want to ski, para sail or just cruise, the animals we capture for sport and to eat also require the attention of authorities. Over fishing can deplete a species over time, and we all want our children and grandchildren to have as much fun landing the big as we do. A boating license is much more than just a tax on those who own boats, it is an investment in the outdoors that impacts us all.