Reader comments
Boost penalties on ORV louts

Seth | 12:35 a.m. Dec. 13, 2007

This article this editorial sources portrays the vehicle one uses as the cause of the lewd behavior. This is a kin to saying cars are evil because they take a concert goer to the show where they get drunk. You will have drunken jerks almost anywhere there is A) a large crowd and B) Alcohol.

If someone is breaking the law jail them. Stiffen the penalties for "riding under the influence". I for one would be happy if those who give my beloved hobby a black eye got there just deserts. But don't try to tell me just because these jerks ride around on a machine they are the same as me. Banning or limiting access to public lands is not the answer. Curbing alcohol intake is.

advocate | 12:48 a.m. Dec. 13, 2007

Did anyone read up on the actual survey and the group behind it? Talk about a biases survey from the get go.

And when you say "91 percent of rangers...." it makes it sound like alot of rangers had issues. Well, the Peer survey sent only 300 surveys out (any I'm sure they were random - insert rolling eyes here). Of those 300, 26% replied... so 78. Doesn't sound like a good sampling IMO.

Ask 78 BYU students who they will vote for as President, and you'll likely find Mitt Romney has a 91% chance of winning. About the same quality of survey.

Cherokee | 12:53 a.m. Dec. 13, 2007

Seth is right. Thereis no way that ALL of us that drive off road is even CLOSE to those people who do those things. Yes alcohol is a big factor in these people. I for one use my jeep to show my kids what they cant see from a paved road,and they LOVE it.

Make the people who go out and be jerks pay for what they do. Not us who go out on trips with frinds and family. Your taking away our rights to enjoy the country from a dirt road. Pleas know there are only a few bad appels who ruin things for others. All people who own ORVs are not bad people...only a few hand full and they are the ones who should get whats coming to them

Comments continue below

Timj | 5:41 a.m. Dec. 13, 2007

Did anyone actually read the article?
They're talking about bigger penalties for those who break the law...and not (at least here) about limiting access.
So if you're one of the innocents, don't worry about it. And if you're breaking the law and not getting caught, or if you're breaking the law and getting a $50 fine, it's time to shape up already.

DORV | 8:36 a.m. Dec. 13, 2007

We should create state run ORV stores that are the only place to purchase one. Where we charge a sin-tax (surcharge) to be set aside to pay for all the damage that ORV users cause.

Maybe we could get an ORV board set up that consisted of no ORV owners to manage this department.

Anonymous | 10:51 a.m. Dec. 13, 2007

How about making the Federal Gov. stick to the rules when creating wilderness areas. When I go into the proposed Wilderness Study area I find Jeep roads, old drill pads and abandon mining claims. The regulation says these can't be in a wilderness, yet they are. Closing long existing, historically used roads and trails and then arresting those who try to ride where grandpa used to take them just creates conflict. Closing places like Factory Butte which can't be hurt by riding just pushes riders into closed areas. Maybe we should look at over regulation, just as much as under regulation.

Foo-Bear | 11:00 a.m. Dec. 13, 2007

When I first spent a Summer in Utah back in 75, the Little Sahara dunes were well known for their Memorial Day weekend crowds and chaos. The BLM,
State Parks and Rec. and the OHV user groups have
looked for answers to holiday management problems
for decades. But the fact is that it isn't an "OHV" problem, but a "people" problem that is only a small part of Utah's overall Holiday Outdoor Flurry. Heavy use, conflicts, and impacts happen in all popular motorized and non-motorized destinations.

Bauman's article was just another rehash of info from a group chartered to eliminate diversity on public lands. This editorial is a valueless 'me too'. Ignorance and bias feeding conflict and
intolerance.

Is it pointless to hope for more from the Deseret
News? Probably, since there is a long tradition of
similar pre-concieved articles on public lands issues...

IMHO, it's long past time that the Deseret News assign a writer to cover the positive things being
done by outdoor user groups, State Parks Program, and
federal agencies. We're working to change the status-quo. Where are you??

Don | 11:03 a.m. Dec. 13, 2007

Thats right DORV, what we need is another SIN TAX.
An zen ve vill tax all doze notty peoples dat ve dont like.
What this is all about, is the SUWA nazi's getting
ready for some more goose stepping.ALL YOU NAUGHTY
PEOPLE GET OFF THE LAWN.

2 bits | 12:30 p.m. Dec. 13, 2007

I agree the Louts should be penalised.

I don't agree that the penalty should be increased or selectively enforced based on if they were OHV users. Forcing someone to expose their breasts is an offense that should be punished (whether the offender had an ORV or not).

I don't agree with the commenter who said, "the whole group needs to be punished because of the worst among them, the bad guys just ruined it for everyone". That's like saying we need to punish all drivers because some people choose to drive drunk. Think about what your saying people!

You can't generalize and striotype and say, People who drive ORV's are Evil anymore than people who drive Cadilacs are Evil. Crime needs to be punished, whether and ORV is involved or not. There are Louts in society in general, not just the ORV community.

Geezer | 12:36 p.m. Dec. 13, 2007

I worked for BLM, and I've seen the damage these vehicles are doing. It's true some ORV people are organizing groups to start repairing the damage, but the more extreme ORV groups are still claiming they should be allowed to drive anywhere on the public lands. The time has come to reduce ORV routes to a manageable system that can be enforced and that doesn't damage wildlife and fish habitat.

Jud | 1:13 p.m. Dec. 13, 2007

Listen, you illiterates,
With your noisy crap-belching ORVs you are ruining the great outdoors. You go wherever you please, mess up whatever beautiful landscape you want, throw your stinking beer cans wherever they land, and then cry about being "forced" by the rest of us to behave. If you run into some strategically strung piano wire one of these days, you have only yourselves to blame. I challenge any one of you to post something without a misspelled word. You can't do it.

Don | 2:21 p.m. Dec. 13, 2007

DER "PIANO WIRE", JUD HAS JUST MADE THE THREAT OF DEATH. MUST BE A SUWA MEMBER.

ATV Hater | 3:19 p.m. Dec. 13, 2007

A tax on new ATV's is a great idea. Call it an Anticipated Abuse Tax. Make it expensive. If that doesn't discourage renegade riders, then perhaps confiscation of their toys when they violate the rights of other land users will get their attention. Of course, by then, the damage has already been done. What about designated areas where they can ride to their hearts' content? I'm thinking specifically of abandoned radioactive tailings piles.

Rangers for Responsible Rec. | 12:20 p.m. Dec. 14, 2007

All Rangers in UT, NV, AZ, NM and CA were sent the survey.

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