A New Jersey state senator is gearing up for marine class warfare between the have-nots and have-yachts. On Wednesday, Sen. Richard Codey (D-NJ) publicly asked the Coast Guard to ban the super-rich from parking their giant yachts in front of the Statue of Liberty—a move that essentially amounts to a giant nautical middle-finger to non-yacht-owning sightseers hoping to take photos of the landmark statue.
"It is unsafe for navigation, unfair to others and completely antithetical to the spirit of one of the world's most compelling symbols of freedom and equal opportunity," Codey told the Post yesterday. The Senator will introduce a resolution during New Jersey's next senate session requesting that the Coast Guard "ban mega yachts" from "long term" parking in front of the Statue of Liberty. However, Codey has not yet specified what size vessels will qualify as mega yachts and how long is too long. (Typically, a mega-yacht is considered to be 115-feet or longer.)
Seems so fitting that a billionaire's luxury yacht is idling in front of the Statue of Liberty today. pic.twitter.com/6cCmoR0gIo
— Marcus Baram (@mbaram) July 3, 2017
A spokesman from the United States Coast Guard told the tabloid they do have the power to place a "no boat parking" sign (or would it be a buoy?) in the area near the statue, but it would likely only happen after lengthy deliberation. As the Daily Mail points out, billionaires' mega yachts have been an all-too-common sight near the Statue this summer.