There's an email floating around out there, written by the owner of my current favorite marina (though, my mind might change about that if his mindset does not.) Here is what he says:

"Oppose the boat bill - Lake Martin is not just for rich people

There are hundreds of families that can no longer afford a cabin on the Lake.  Even the most modest cabin now costs more than $300,000-$500,000.  Many families have therefore elected to purchase a small cabin cruiser and use it on weekends with its berths, head, and galley.  That way, for less than $100,000, they can have a 'place on the lake'..  They cruise slowly, create little wakes, and cause no trouble for anybody.  Their kids enjoy swimmnig in the beautiful waters of Lake Martin just like the rich kids!

 
Now comes Senate Bill 487 attempting to discriminate against the poor people and only allow lake access to the very wealthy!  When the Federal Governemnt took the land to create the lake 'for the common good', it pledged to provide free access to the lake to all citizens.  The wealthy property owners around the lake do not want these less fortunate people to mess up what they perceive to be "their" lake.  It IS NOT THEIR LAKE.  It belongs to everybody!
 
Senator Dial is attempting to prohibit certain boats from Lake Wedowee, one of the smallest lakes in the state, and has crafted a bill that will restrict access to the largest man-made lakes in the state.  This is wrong!
 
If the lawmakers want to restrict speed or wakes or houseboats, they should craft a bill to do just that, not to take lake access away from others less fortunate.
 
Please oppose the boat ban bill."

 

Wow, I never knew that the people tooling around the lake in boats like this, this and this were POOR people! (And note, all of those boats just linked are used boats; imagine what these poor people are paying for their new boats. Your heart just aches for them, doesn't it?)

So if the people that can afford those boats are the "poor" people, what do you suppose this guy thinks about those who don't own a place on the lake, but rent? And who scrimp and save to be able to buy a second-hand SeaRay for less that $10,000?

My guess is that he considers us unclean and insignificant. At least, that's the attitude I sense. And so I say, you are right about one thing: this lake belongs to everybody, and not just those who can afford a six-figure boat and a seven-figure house. It belongs to those of us who rent, who try to enjoy the lake even as our "tiny" 18-foot boats are tossed about like bobbers in the ocean, and even those who have given up boating on the weekends altogether. It's our lake too, and we don't appreciate being treated as if our wishes don't matter.