<VV> [Fwd: Re: CORSA Memberships]

[Dennis PLEAU]

Lon,
 
Great post.  You and I are both going off the BoD so I can say that...
 
You and I are both Western Division Directors.  The people out west just don't give a s#!* or are extremely computer literate.  I'm tallying the results for the Western Division and I've got a total of 7 surveys so far and one was mine and another was from the Central division (that I tallied anyway).  We are waiting to the end to look at the online posts so everyone else in the west may have filled it out online.  By the way, I haven't seen one with a OR postmark yet. 
 
Dennis Pleau



> Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:38:19 -0800> From: corvairs at pacifier.com> To: virtualvairs at corvair.org; virtualvairs at skiblack.com> Subject: <VV> [Fwd: Re: CORSA Memberships]> > > > -------- Original Message --------> Subject: Re: CORSA Memberships> Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:25:50 -0800> From: Lon Wall <corvairs at pacifier.com>> To: kenpepke at juno.com <kenpepke at juno.com>> References: <20080213.142415.1270.4 at webmail11.dca.untd.com>> > > > What are all the standard arguments?> > 1) If our club has to "force" our members to join National that's not > right. - So you mean when your local club "forces" a member to pay local > dues that's not right as well?> > 2) National dues can't be raised any more because some people can't > afford it. - What makes the current dues a magical amount that people > CAN afford?> > 3) If you raise the annual fee to the local clubs (to cover insurance) > the local clubs will drop out. - So they can get thier own insurance for > a better deal than $20.00 a year?> > 4) This is just like the government wanting more and more (a special > appeal to all the tax limitation advocates) - Oh, and the grocery > stores, Wal-mart and the Corvair vendors, when they have to raise thier > prices to you, that makes us just like the government too?> > Corsa is a business - a non profit business to be sure. But it has to > make it's expenses every year or it will fail (that means cease to > exist). I believe that the vast majority of our membership understands > that they have to pay as they go and that support for Corsa has to > include adequate financial support as well. I also know that there will > always be a vocal minority of people who will wail loud and long if dues > are increased, or if clubs are asked to kick in a bit more money to > cover the ultra-valuable insurance they get (insurance that is possible > ONLY because of Corsa).> > But Smitty said it best (the most honestly) Those who throw the biggest > temper tantrums over this are probably the least valuable members of the > club. What if I came into your restaurant and said - "I'd like to be > seated, have some water, look at the menu, bring me some crackers and > let me tie up your waiter for 10 minutes while I ask him questions about > your food. Then when he asks if I'm ready to order I'll stand up and > yell - What!? You expect me to pay for my food? You'll regret this! I'll > never come into this restaurant again! You've lost me as a customer (ad > nauseum)". Questions - Do you> > 1) - Fret terribly and go back to your restaurants board of directors to > try and find another way to come up with a way to pay for that guys > dinner - After all it's bad business to lose customers.> 2) - Wring your hands and implore the board of directors to remember > that he might be on a "fixed income" (like most people by the way) and > he probably can't afford the dinner.> 3) - Throw a party because a self-centered whiner is never going to > come back into your restaurant.> > Most of us are adults here. The issues being discussed by the Corsa > Board of Directors are certainly not easy to deal with. Our biggest > obstacle in any change is the simple fact of "That's not how we've been > doing it all these years and I don't want to change". The board is going > to have to come to grips with the reality that we can no longer be > driven by the small vocal minority of whiners.> > In the past, when membership was flush and a lot of other things were > different, Corsa squeaked by by throwing all our efforts into a > "blender" and hoping that, in the end, it would all wash. Those times > are over. As with MANY other things in our economey it's time to > understand the need for radical changes.> > I was asked three years ago to fill a vacancy in the Western division. I > did not seek this position but stepped in because I wanted to help. I > will no longer be on the board at the Ventura meeting, so these > decisions will not be made by others. Perhaps this is why I am as blunt > as I am right now. But I know that my bluntness may cost me - I'm the > world's 2nd largest parts vendor and a few of my customers may not > appreciate my opinions. I'm sorry, I could give you a different > story,but that doesn't change reality.> > I forsee a day when the Corsa Board of Directors can spend all its time > on issues that mean something to the Corvair "movement" rather than > expending so much energy on trying to find convoluted, non-controversial > ways to keep us afloat for another year.> > Lon Wall> Western Director Corsa
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