Y'ALL CAN COME TO MY HOUSE TO SWIM...PUBLIC POOLS MAY BE CLOSING...

My Swimming Pool
(I'm a Louisiana boy you know)

Did y'all know that Congress passed a law last year that could possibly shut down hundreds of thousands of pools and hot tubs? Yep...they did.

Now, the event that precipitated our Congress (which obviously had nothin' to do that day) to pass this law was a tragic one. The 7-year-old granddaughter of James Baker (yea, THAT James Baker) died in a pool while being held under water by the sucking drain. I don't want to minimize, or make light of the loss of a little girl at all. And to be straightforward, the Nannies had wanted this law long before Baker's granddaughter drowned. I'm sorry for the whole family.

But c'mon! What is the Federal Government gonna do next? Require lifeguards at swimming holes? Shut down beaches in Florida because somebody might get bit by a shark? Shut down skydiving because somebody's parachute didn't open? Shut down NASCAR because somebody got killed in a wreck? Shut down college football because LSU sucks this season some guy died in Summer practice at SW Montana State?

The whole AP article is here. But some highlights...

WASHINGTON (Dec. 16) -- Unless new anti-drowning drain covers are installed, tens of thousands of public swimming pools and hot tubs could be forced to close Saturday under a sweeping law designed to prevent drain suction from trapping children under water.

The rules apply to pools and spas used by the public, including municipal pools and those at hotels, private clubs, apartment buildings and community centers.

Hotel Spas??? Heck, that's the only reason me and The Mrs. go to Hot Springs...the hot tub at The Arlington Hotel...a little bit of heaven on earth my friends... Did you know that they have to cool the water from the springs before it deposits into the Arlington Hotel hot tub so you can enjoy it, because it's so hot coming out of the ground? Well, now you do!

The National Swimming Pool Foundation, a nonprofit group in Colorado Springs, Colo., said about 80 percent of the 300,000 public pools and spas in the United States do not comply with the new rules and may have to close.

80% of 300,000 is 240,000...I think...that's a lot of missed recreation.

It said the cost of complying with the new law would range from $1,000 to $15,000 per pool. A variety of factors, including the availability of compliant drains and the workers to install them, determine the eventual price tag. Given current economic conditions, that's a potentially heavy financial burden for local governments.

Financial burden on my local government? Fix the potholes on Hwy 80...I'll stay away from the pool drain myself, dangit!

Alan Korn, public policy director of the Washington-based nonprofit group Safe Kids Worldwide, said the vast majority of American swimmers don't realize that the bottom of pools and spas and wading pools are a hidden hazard, especially to children.

He said one person dies because of pool or spa drain suction in a typical year. His agency cited 33 deaths of children under age 14 between 1985 and 2004.

I'm sorry, I know that even one kid's death is terrible! But I don't want to see a ban on bicycles, and cars in residential areas. (a much deadlier hazard than swimming pool drains)

The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals says its existing drain covers are safe and wants Nord's agency to recognize that new equipment entails a flow level below what is needed to run a portable hot tub, said spokesman Dick Wolfe.

Wolfe said virtually all the 70 or so hot tub manufacturers in the country would go out of business if they had to build their spas to meet the new requirements. The group has asked CPSC for an exemption for hot tubs.

Did you know there were 70 plus hot tub manufacturers in the US?

I swear, I just don't know what to do... It makes you want to dig a hole and bury yourself in it...not to avoid danger...to hide from Nanny.