Letters: Boater offers different perspective on the Playpen – Chicago Tribune

I am responding to Capt. Bill Luksha (Safety of waterways, Sept. 4) and other letter writers on the boating tragedies that have recently occurred. I, too, have been boating on Lake Michigan and anchoring in the Playpen for more than 40 years. Unlike Luksha, I am a recreational boater and have a different perspective.

Tragedies have always occurred and will continue to occur during all recreational activities. You can break a leg skiing, trip and hit your head while hiking, fall off your bike or drown while playing in the water. Rather than a politicians knee-jerk response to do something by making more rules, I prefer to help and educate new and old boaters.

I have found fellow boaters to be a friendly and helpful group. Everyone needs help sometimes, and no one has experienced it all.

The woman losing her feet is a terrible accident. The calls to increase rules and restrict boaters come before even knowing all that happened. I have not seen any official reports from the state, the Coast Guard or the captain involved. I was anchored in the Playpen that day. It was definitely a higher-risk day to be there due to the strong winds causing rapid drifting of boats while they werent anchored.

Luksha wants to restrict rafting and the number of boats allowed in the Playpen. Rafting is a national phenomenon. Is it more unsafe? I have not seen any data that drownings are more likely to occur. Neither the woman injured or the captain involved was part of a rafted group of boats. Maybe it is more safe to raft up.

If restrictions are placed on the number of boats or rafting, the issue simply gets moved to somewhere else, rather than improving safety. It is also a bit self-serving, as commercial vessels would most likely have priority for access.

I am happy to see so many new boaters learning to enjoy the lake. Education, patience and a friendly attitude will go a lot further in making boating safer for everyone.

Michael Less, Burr Ridge

I noted something in Clarence Pages Sunday column This time Donald Trump makes the election stakes unusually high. If Donald Trump saying the election was fixed makes him a threat to democracy, are Hillary Clinton and Stacey Abrams also threats to democracy? They fit his definition.

Clinton said the 2016 election was hijacked by the Russians and told Joe Biden in 2020 to not concede under any circumstances. Abrams said she lost because the election was stolen; she never conceded.

Why is it we never hear in the media about these election deniers? They are a threat to democracy as well.

David Bohac, Willow Springs

We learned that over one day, the former president took the Fifth Amendment 440 times in response to questions in a lawsuit about his business practices. We heard at least two Republicans, U.S. Sens. Rick Scott and Chuck Grassley, warn that 87,000 armed Internal Revenue Service agents are going to be coming to the doors of homes and small businesses. We learned that the former president unlawfully took hundreds of classified documents to Mar-a-Lago, lied about them and refused to return them.

In response to the FBI search to obtain those documents, we saw the FBI condemned by several Republican lawmakers. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham went so far as to warn that there would be riots in the streets if Donald Trump was indicted.

The political fallout from all this is now that the Republican Party is totally united behind the former president. The only question is: Should he declare his 2024 candidacy now or after the midterms?

Thats quite a political party you have there.

Bob Perlstein, Morton Grove

After reading the stories about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sending immigrants from Texas to Chicago, part of me feels like sending him a bill for the cost of feeding and housing his residents. But part of me feels like sending him a note thanking him for sending us the ambitious active workers who just want to work to support their families and contribute to our expanding work force.

Maybe we can do both.

Frank L. Schneider, Chicago

Order is based on laws that deter crime. We have jails, and police wear uniforms and carry firearms to deter crime.

I propose that those convicted of violating traffic laws by drifting and endangering the public through reckless driving should register with the Chicago Police Department for two years.

Without deterrence, we will have anarchy.

Roberto Garcia, Chicago

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Letters: Boater offers different perspective on the Playpen - Chicago Tribune