Of wrecks, sharks, and paying for the privilege

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It accounts for about 150 or so human deaths every year. Violent deaths.

It accounts for more than $1 billion in property damage every year.

It accounts for nearly 200,000 wrecks each year.

It's not a mind altering substance either.

It is only somewhat regulated, with regulations varying widely by state and no federal oversight whatsoever.

It is controlled by a small number of people who pay the state and federal government for the privilege of controlling it.

Some people want no human controls at all. Without these controls, as limited as they are, experts predict human deaths would skyrocket. Even if that doesn't happen, historical evidence shows that without this even limited human control, there would be incredibly widespread suffering, intense pain and massive death.

Some of these demanding no human controls have even said some of the controlling humans are the problem and should themselves be eliminated. [raises hand] I'm one who's received such death threats.

Lemme appear to completely change gears on you now. I'm not, but you won't see it for a few minutes.

Predators do not tolerate competition, even from their own kind, unless they are all part of the same group. Those who like to talk about "nature's way" tend to forget a male lion taking over a pride kills all the cubs. They forget male lions kill hyenas and will kill leopards and cheetahs if they can catch 'em. They forget canines will fight each other, driving away interlopers. Big sharks eat small sharks. Little gators get chomped by big gators.

They conveniently forget the defeated is driven away, often to starve to death or died from the infections in wound received in battle.

Nature's way is that the biggest and meanest predators rule and don't long tolerate competition.

Predators ensure their food supply by eliminating competition. Even vegetarians do this. Monkey troops fight "wars" over territory. Birds defend home ground. Fish battle each other.

Predators also do not solely rely on fang, muscle and claw. Giant sea otters bash open molluscs with rocks. Big raptors will drop turtles onto rocks from on high. Some apes use tools.

So what does this have to do with wrecks, fatalities and property damage?



The "it" above.

To be a bit more obfuscatory, if you wanna get excrutiatingly technical, it's good for you. Health food in fact. Finest kind.

"It" is the cervid, of which there are several species in the US. Whitetail, Coues, Mule, Moose, Elk and some introduced species related but which are not cervid. Add to this the growing numbers of feral hog.

I work to reduce the population of these animals. By doing so, I thin the herd. I prevent overpopulation, starvation when the food sources crash and the aforementioned wrecks and deaths. I eat these animals. I pay handsomely for that privilege every year.

I am the apex predator.

As the apex predator, I do not tolerate competition unless the competition is part of my group. Non-group competition is eliminated. Permanently.

If you are an apex predator, you understand this. If you are not, then you cannot understand and there is no way to explain it.

If you say "let nature take its course," I remind you, I am the force of nature.