Silver,

No hugging! And no singin' folk songs around the camp fire either!!

On your point about having fun bashing government, well, I'm not really gettin' a big thrill out of recognizing some of the basic deficencies that you and I basically agree on. Even though grass roots poilitics still exists, I believe that it gets the "Roundup" applied to it by special interests and back room deals. Not sure we can effect any change there. I think that the NMFS and the WDFW are examples of government going through the motions, taking public input in a limited fashion at public meetings and then stiking deals behind closed doors. What comes out of those deals usually doesn't make a lot of dollars and sense for the state at large, but it does for a few influential few. Just my opinion.

"Now, this all said, I agree with your foul ball call on the enhancement fee, but I suspect there is more to it than meets the eye."..."It may ssimply be that the enhancement fee hasn't covered the costs, or it may be that the state has apporpirated the funds to cover other service."

Probably a little of both, but it's still a bum deal to the Puget Sound chinook program, which btw has been on an upswing in the past few years. I believe that the enhancement fee was a key factor in that upswing.

"Isn't it time to go fishing yet?"

Oh ya!