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Sounds reasonable to me, Grandpa, but we're heading in the exact opposite direction. The Governmentium morons are trying to turn us all into a bunch of dependent whiners. They do NOT want us to be self-sufficient, prepared, or (heaven forbid) independent of them. We had a couple of fellas come by the house after Hurricane Sandy, asking if we'd been impacted in any way, as we were eligible for food stamps. Sure I had a couple tree branches down, but I told them "No" anyway.
Can you just see us, with all that food put aside, taking food stamps??? Makes me laugh....
I would have had the opposite reaction and been very grateful that the government was there to help if I needed them. Just because you didn't need help, it doesn't mean that others didn't.
I would have had the opposite reaction and been very grateful that the government was there to help if I needed them. Just because you didn't need help, it doesn't mean that others didn't.
And if they only "needed" the help because they ignored repeated warnings and advice on what supplies should be in the home?
Personally, I have an intense dislike for the government mandating I wear a seatbelt or whatever, I am smart enough and over 21 so I should be able to make my own decisions.
I can understand fining folks for going into the wilderness unprepared though. Montana is a tourist destination state for hikers and campers, hunters, fishermen etc.
Every year there are lots of searches for folks that take off for a 2 hour hike with only a bottle of wine and some nasty cheese in their backpacks, not even a match or a map, they are dressed in t-shirts, shorts and birkenstock sandles, and have absolutely no idea where they are, what the weather or wildlife is like, and when they blithely set off for their "adventure", they end up lost, hurt, freezing with no way to provide for themselves.
Usually the hunters and fishermen will either have guides or some supplys, not always, but the hikers are constantly lost.
I don't want to have to pay for a permit to go out on public land, but I have no problem with charging those who are purposely unprepared for the costs of their rescue.
Not to say that folks who are prepared don't have problems and get lost or hurt, but at least they usually leave word of where they are going, can make a fire or shelter, have some food so if it takes a day to get back to them they aren't already dead from exposure.
2 hunters went out for an afternoon hunt here a few years ago. A cold front moved in, the temperature dropped from 30 to about -5 with a wind.
They did have cigarette lighters, but the cheap butane ones that don't work in real cold.
They hadn't left word of where they were going because it was a "secret" spot and they had been going there for years.
They were found a couple days later, frozen stiff, only a few hundred yards from their truck.
It happens even to the experienced, but less often than the completely or willfully unprepared.
And if they only "needed" the help because they ignored repeated warnings and advice on what supplies should be in the home?
Then morally, maybe they should consider not taking the aid (though I doubt they'd do this!) although some have suggested that persons ignoring official warnings should receive no aid. I'm all for being prepared and heeding warnings!
However, the Hurricane of 1938 took a number of RI homes along the coast out to sea.
Yes, I know they had little to no warning, but in a severe hurricane (and one of that severity is likely to be repeated) no amount of preparation will be adequate and homes will be destroyed.
While I think it's admirable not to accept help from the government if not needed, I just don't understand how an offer of aid from FEMA or the equivalent would be construed as "interference". Don't we all pay income taxes to some extent? Most would expect, nay demand, help when disaster strikes.
Flood insurance is all federally insured. If you don't like the government does that mean you wouldn't make a claim if your house was lost or damaged to flooding?
Right now, we can't choose whether or not to pay taxes (unless we choose act criminally or like a big corporation!), all I'm saying is that I expect FEMA to be at my door when I call them for help.
This is a damn good idea considering the $$$$ resources needed to rescue just one person that didn't prepare for where they were going. Prepare or pay your choice.
I've gone on several backwoods hiking/backpacking trips in national/state parks, and the first place I always stop is the ranger station... they'll tell you what supplies you need for that area/season. They will also review your intended route and schedule, alerting you to possible difficulties and offering suggestions, and will mark their station locations on your maps. It never hurts to have those guys keeping an eye out for you in case something should go wrong. The rangers and wardens know the area better than anyone and really do want to help you be prepared for your excursion.
Folks can get into trouble even on marked trails, especially the longer or more rugged ones, and back country hikes are even more dangerous. If someone can't be bothered to consult with local experts and prepare themselves properly, then they really should stick to the shorter "kiddy" trails.
And we thank you for that. Yes, you can get in trouble on the marked trails, but if you do, you are fairly easy to find. One of the first requirements should be maps and demonstrated proficiency in map reading and registering at a ranger station. I don't care where you go, but I don't want to be hunting you over miles of rough terrain because you got off the trails and got lost or injured. Furthermore, if you walk over a cliff you are going down. Don't do it. Please.
...all I'm saying is that I expect FEMA to be at my door when I call them for help.
The day will come when you will be very disappointed. The gov't, and FEMA, will run out of funds long before you need them at your door. Those who think this 'fiscal cliff' thing has been solved, are in for a shock. They just can't continue to spend $$$ they don't have. That doesn't work for me, either!
I would have had the opposite reaction and been very grateful that the government was there to help if I needed them. Just because you didn't need help, it doesn't mean that others didn't.
If you get rescued in NH you may risk fines, and these will be to cover the costs..... That could be a helicopter costs which just start at 10,000 bucks... plus time for each person involved hourly, and god only knows what else.
These days there are lots of stupid people going into places they have absolutely no business being.
The problem with relying on the authorities to render aid and rescue is that they may not even know you are there, or determine that a certain number of individuals are acceptable casualties. Case in point, we had a massive forest fire nearby a couple years back which the authorities decided to let burn. When the fire finally got close enough to an established village for them to assign smoke jumpers (borrowed from another state), they weren't even aware that there were an additional 20 households in the direct path in the surrounding area. And if we locals hadn't teamed up and taken it upon ourselves to cut and bulldoze our own firebreaks, they still wouldn't have been able to spot us from the air and send in ground coordinators to work with us.
Think about that for a second... the forest is so thick around here that entire cabins aren't visible, what hope do rescue personnel have to spot a single stranded hiker, especially an unprepared one?
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