Yesterday I stopped at an RV/boating store to buy a 40-amp fuse for my camper. Right after I walked into the store, another man, along with his son, entered looking for a place to register his boat. Two sales clerks were available, so we both got immediate attention.
The clerk waiting on me said that her store does not stock the type of fuse I was seeking, and then quickly suggested an auto parts store just down the road. The other clerk provided a similar response, “The store does not register boats.” The customer asked where he could go to get his boat registered. The clerk responded, “Down at the park office, but they aren’t open on weekends.” The man looked at his son, dropped his head, and mumbled a defeated, “Not open on weekends?!?”
Contrast the park office’s hours with those of the auto parts store. The store has late evening Saturday hours, as well as Sunday hours. It is open on weekends as those are the days when most at-home car repair is performed. In addition, if the auto parts store hours do not meet the consumer’s weekend needs, there’s always the 24/7 Wal-Mart a little further on down the road. The wonders of competition!
Wait a minute, aren’t weekends also the most popular days for boating? Certainly, but the park doesn’t have any competition, and thus has no need to be consumer-oriented.
Stores stay open to serve the consumer, while the state couldn’t care less. The entrepreneur says, “How can I help?” The state says, “If you want to boat in our state, you have to play be our rules.”
While my camping adventure went as planned despite this minor hiccup, the would-be boater will have to leave work early some day next week in order to purchase his registration, and he will have to wait for the another nice weekend to enjoy his summer fun.
Based on similar situations that happen every day, why would any advocate for a state solution, to anything?
