Well, it's an interesting argument. Not taking a side at this point, but let me ask this question: If the regional VP's aren't representing your soaring interests well, can you say it's not because of a lack of contact with your particular interest group? In other words, how often does your club communicate to the regional V.P., and I mean more than mailing him a copy of your newsletter (though that's a good start)? How often do you talk to the veep or e-mail him? Do they get regular invites to the club contests? Do they know how many people are flying gliders in their district?
I'm asking have you tried to meet them at least half-way, or are you passively hoping they "get it" by some kind of osmosis? Because even in a small region, it's a LOT of clubs for one guy to deal with, each one by itself is probably a blip on their radar, unless it presents some problem or special situation. All those clubs have different and sometimes competing interests, all vying for attention. The ones that push their intersts most, that remain "top of mind", they influence the trends in the decision making. That's also the way our actual government tends to work: the squeaky wheel and all that. Sailplaners tend to be iconoclasts in a hobby that attracts iconoclastic people. I think the process using regional Veeps that's in place can work for us just fine, if we remember to stay fully engaged with it. If the veep has a particular preference in the hobby, and it doesn't favor our needs, well, you can also vote for new veeps that better recognize your needs. Democracy is not a good system for the lazy or the indifferent: it's a contact sport, and you don't win if you don't play. Can't be a lone eagle and complain the flocks get the better free seed. By shifting the AMA structure towards reps from interest groups, I think you actually make it less fair than you feel it is now: you turn it into a popularity contest that can be affected by lobbying, and the commercial interests of the hobby would tend to override the member interests. There's a reason it's called an academy, versus an association; the distinctions are subtle, but real. But this is an interesting topic of discussion, I'd like to hear other's opinions as well. -mark RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format
