[LonelyCon]

"She was contacted by rescuers in a chartered Qantas Airbus A330 jet that made a 4,700-mile (7,600-kilometer) round trip from Perth to Sunderland's boat, which is near the limit of its range...The CROSS maritime rescue center on the island of Reunion, off Madagascar, said it had sent three boats in her direction."

A charter A330 and three boats. So how much did that cost for one stupid thrill-seeking teen and the parents who enable her.

I wish the Australian Coast Guard would put a lien on the Sunderland's house and other assets until they pay back every cent the cost of the rescue operation. Oh, I guess not, Nanny Down Under will take care of it:

"The Australian maritime authority did not say how much the rescue mission would cost but said it would not be seeking compensation for the search, which initially fell just outside of Australia's search and rescue region."

Why this family (or any other "adventurer") expects to be rescued on the public's dime when they choose to do risky and stupid things for no other reason than to gain fame for themselves and get in the record books is beyond me. Get insurance. Pay for a rescue boat to trail her. Whatever, just don't expect the government (especially a foreign government) to come save your butt when you do dumb things.

[jerry557]

Everyone keeps crying about rescue costs. Do you understand how routine a rescue is?

I knew someone in the Coast Guard who says they did rescues all the time for stranded boaters. A lot of times they go too far away from shore or their engines fail or they have no clue what they are doing.

We dont charge a dime for those rescues, yet you want to charge the parents of this girl?

Or how about lifeguards on the beach? They do rescues all the time on the public dime.

Its always been this way.

[Lion Den Dan]

Whining, sniveling nannystater. I am sorry for your shriveled soul.

[BenKenobi]

How about we put a lein on your home instead?

[gunsequalfreedom]

I wish the Australian Coast Guard would put a lien on the Sunderland's house and other assets until they pay back every cent the cost of the rescue operation.

No way. We have search and rescue all over the world. You going to stop having fun because you are afraid of the cost of being rescued. That is what search and rescue is for. To rescue adventuresome humans.

The alternative to an adventurous spirit.

[naturalman1975]

If your neighbour’s house was on fire, would you rent them your hose?

We rescue people when we can - sometimes we can’t.

As an Australian taxpayer, this has cost me about 20 cents so far - my share of the bill. I think it’s worth it.

I’m not convinced the girls parents should have let her do it (I agree, by the way with letting kids take risks - I just think that it’s sensible to set some limits) but that’s separate from the monetary issue.

[naturalman1975]

As anyone who's been there knows - the best 'extra payment' the men and women involved in this rescue can get will be seeing that little girl on dry land.

At least this time, it looks like it will be a happy ending. And to any Americans worried about the cost to the Australian taxpayer - well, consider it a partial payback for all the times the US taxpayer has wound up bailing people out around the world. The fact is, this is what rich, industrialised nations do. At least this time we're doing it for another rich, industrialised nation. The vast majority of foreigners Australia pulls from the sea are 'asylum seekers' sailing here illegally in leaky boats.