NMFS proposes to reduce the hake possession limit

[reason162]

Originally Posted by fishguy

Perhaps, but that wasn't my point.

I thought the quote really insightful and witty. I also believe it is absolutely true. I hate to get political but Gerry opened the door.

The Citizens United Supreme Court decision is probably the worst in the post-WWII era. The conservative justices decision that money is free speech means, legally, the wealthy have more free speech than you and I (unless you are a millionaire, of course)
Fran's quote perfectly illustrates this stake in the heart of American Democracy. You can literally buy more Constitutional Rights now thanks to that decision.

I completely agree with you re Citizens.

However I don't see the regulatory people (and I suppose the environmental/conservation constituency) as analogous to the fat cats buying up policy makers. Those people are on the other side, the commercial side. We recreational guys are just caught in the middle.

The common theme on this (and other) fishing forums is that somehow there are people getting rich off imposing quotas on fisheries. I can't even begin to comprehend the logic of this argument. Surely the greed lies on the side of people who stand to profit off catching fish?

That's not to say that I agree with all regs. I can accept that the science is flawed in some cases, thin in others. I just find the knee-jerk reaction to any talk of regulations as "big government getting rich off us common folk" pretty hilarious.