WHO: Boaters
WHAT: Many boaters are saying they don’t need to take a safety class, thank you very much. They know how to operate a boat. And besides, forcing the class would drive the price up. Jeez.
WHY IT’S A BAD IDEA: If you don’t need to take a class, fine. You can take the exam online for $15. If you can’t pass the exam, you shouldn’t operate a boat. The exam is not difficult. With enough time and enough bananas, we could probably teach Bimbo the chimp to pass it. You wouldn’t let your 13-year-old drive your car, right? Why should someone who’s got more money than sense be allowed to hop in a boat with no experience? If you’re going to drop a few thousand on a boat, you can afford to drop a little on several afternoons of class.
WHERE TO TAKE THE TEST: boat-ed.com/cgi-local/exam/certification.cgi?st=md
Today’s dim bulb: Getting Grandma gone
Just days before Christmas, in the bitter cold, two detectives refused to help evict a 78-year-old grandmother from her home in a housing project. She, as far as anyone knows, never committed a crime. She had no drugs or guns, but detectives said they were supposed to evict her because she might have been living with a criminal. Since when is the judicial system supposed to punish people who haven’t committed crimes? At least these detectives have their heads on straight. …
Today’s quote
“Sometimes I don’t want to get out of my blankets, especially this morning — holy moly! … But you deal with it. That’s the only thing you can do.” – Timothy Dungee, one of the residents of the tent camp on Fayette Street, who’d rather take his chances with the cold than go to a shelter, which he said are notorious for disease and thieves
