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   250 years ago our Declaration of Independence said that our government should protect our “…life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” “Life” and “liberty” have a pretty clear meaning and understanding for most Americans, and Minnesotans; but “…pursuit of happiness”? Whose happiness – yours or mine? A reason we have laws is to prevent my pursuit of happiness from interfering with yours. I’m not very happy right now. My boat lift is near the end of my 40ft dock and I’m hoping I will be able to get my boat off my lift when I store it for the winter, otherwise, it may cost me $300 to get it off! In my 39yrs of owning our property on Broadwater Bay of Woman Lake, I’ve never had to put the lift near this far out. Our property has a 5ft ice ridge so our shoreline is pretty well defined but this year it is 5+ft further out than normal and, again, much lower than ever in 39yrs. The Longville City Council isn’t very happy either as they are paying to have a technical study of the rock arch rapids that the DNR had put in to replace the dam that had managed the Woman Lake water levels for 39+yrs. So, who is happy? Obviously, the DNR is, as they are defending their rock arch rapids, as they say it will allow fish to naturally enter Woman Lake. What fish? I have canoed the Boy River from below the old dam many times. The first significant body of water is Tamarac Lake, which has lots of small northerns and big sunnies but never caught a walleye. It would be a long trip to Girl Lake for northerns and why would we want more northerns, anyway, as we have raised the limit for hammer handles because we have too many already. The only thing I can figure is minnows. So, my happiness, and probably that of very many lake home owners from Girl, Woman, Child, and others upstream, is secondary to that of minnows. How is it possible that a state agency, without an elected leader, can have such power over the wishes, wants and “happiness” of the people of Minnesota; and who are the elected state leaders who have allowed this to happen?

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