Just unfuknbelievable stupidity
CajunNavy
We’re from the government and we’re here to help. Louisiana residents have been doing an awesome job of helping themselves, including thousands of boat owners, dubbed the “Cajun Navy,” who took to their own craft to rescue neighbors. Now a state legislator wants to require training, certificates, and state permits for boat owners who want to rescue people during a natural disaster.
...and this is a Republican "small government" proponent.
Well, in fairness, what he's advocating is that those who are permitted would be allowed to function in concert with other rescue personnel. In other words, police would utilize them in an emergency rather than running them off as interference.
But yeah, it's a solution in search of a problem. Nothing stops the police from utilizing boat owners in this capacity now, except the potential for liability, but this doesn't address that. So it just becomes a potential revenue stream, which no politician of any stripe can ever turn down.