<VV> Rules of the Road

[James P. Rice]

Jay:  First and foremost, I fully appreciate your family and work situation.
They have to come first.  Always.  I applaud your awareness and commitment
to both of them.  Both of our daughters, with their husbands, are self
employed.  They are scratching and clawing to keep family and income above
sea level.  They don't have time or money for much besides family and
church.  No toy cars, or toy anything.

Second, "put up or shut up" is most definitely not rules of the road.  Not
for you or anybody.  Please pass on any ideas to VV, as there is suppose to
be someone on the BoD logging them. But the problem is, while ideas are
wonderful, without someone to follow thru and implement them, they merely
collect dust: nothing gets improved, nothing gets changed, nothing happens.

What you sense as my weariness is actually me trying to push, pull or
otherwise drag yelling and screaming people to put their energy into doing
something useful for the cause and club they care about.

I understand the "those that can, do" concept.  (The other side of that coin
is: "Those who can't, write about it!"  Guilty.)  But my experience in
volunteer organizations, which is mostly CORSA and church, is that there are
way more people who can than actually do.  These are people with the time,
experience (and yes sometimes funds) to make a difference in their
organization of choice, if they would only stick their hand up and say, "I'm
willing to try" or "I think I can do that".  Maybe my mother read the little
train story with the recurring line "I think I can, I think I can, I think"
to many times to me.

Hence my recurring admonition - or maybe it is nagging - to all CORSA
members on to VV sign up for whatever the task.  Stick your hand up.  CORSA
will not, indeed can not, continue without people sticking their hands up.
Not possible.  The CORSA we know today, from the founders, charter members
and all who have followed, were all people who simply stuck they hand up and
said "I think I can.  I will try."

That's what I've done.  In late summer of 1979, when I first asked the late
Herb Burkman about becoming the Chairman of the Competition Committee, my
motivation was something on the order of "well, I can do it better than the
nothing which is being done now."  I was 34,  two kids and a job at
Caterpillar I was under qualified for at the time.  But I reached at work
and reached with the competition committee and reached again when I ran for
the combined BoDs.  Done other stuff I never dreamt of doing 40 years ago,
simply because I stuck my hand up.  Sometimes got it slapped, but usually
got it grabbed and pulled into whatever the need was.

The world is dying while people sit on their hands, instead of extending
them in some way to some need.  CORSA will die unless young people like
yourself people put their hands up and try.

I see you have volunteer to work on the Communique scanning project.  Good
going.  If your group needs some back issues, I have all the Communoque's
from the mid-70's and a whatever was available back them in back issues.
Let me know.  I might take me a week to find some of them, but if I have
them and you guys need them, you know where to find me.

So for now, I'll get off my soap box.  We'll see who puts their hand up to
serve on the CORSA/CPF BoD.  After the February or March Communique, maybe
we all can talk again on the subject.

Best wishes to you and your family Jay.  And to all the others on VV.

Historically Yours,
			James

------------------------------

Message: 10
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:17:17 -0500
From: Jay Pitchford <jay.pitchford at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: <VV> Wall Hangings and web postings
To: "James P. Rice" <ricebugg at mtco.com>
Cc: virtualvairs at corvair.org

James,

While I appreciate your willingness to challenge us, I also sense from your
eply that you are getting tired of ideas without someone 'stepping up'.
Well, I can't step up in the way you deem appropriate. Those that can, do.
Those than can't should put their money where their mouth is. I am willing
to help fund the effort to get this done, but with two school-age children
and a 50-60 hour per week career, what I don't have is the time to form a
committee and spearhead the effort. If put-up-or-shut-up are the rules of
the road, I'll keep my ideas and money to myself.

Jay Pitchford
Columbus OH
CORSA Newbie (Oct '09)


On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 6:21 PM, James P. Rice <ricebugg at mtco.com> wrote:

> Timothy and Jay:  Good ideas.  Neither of you need anybodies permission to
ut together one or two  ad hoc committees and implement these ideas.  Go for
it.  Belly up and assume rsponsibility.  So far as I know, neither idea has
been considered before.  But what do I know.
>
> Tim, if you design a wall hanging, contact shops to determine who will
hang them with no cost to them, get a price quote to have them made, and let
us know, I have US$20 to help fund them.
>
> Jay: Same deal.  I'm not a "techie" but I assume a program could be
written and sent to shops to be handed off and installed by their web
provider.  Again, I've got US$20 to fund the effort when you and your ad hoc
committee have the leg work done similar to what Tim needs to do.
>
> Anybody else in?
>
> Historically Yours,
>                        James Rice
>
> PS: Timothy, Colorado to Iowa is all down hill, about a foot a mile if I
remember correctly from our trip to the '87 Monterey Historics towing Jim
Schardt's Stinger.  For you, going home is the work.  But you have done it
before.  Hope to see you there.
>
> *****************************************
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:35:46 -0500 (EST)
> From: shortle <shortle556 at earthlink.net>
> Subject: <VV> MEMBERSHIP RECRUITING
> To: "virtualvairs at corvair.org" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
>
> I have been in 4 Corvair only repair shops in the last couple of years and
have asked them all why they don't have some sort of display advertising
CORSA. I have met some of their customers who did not even know CORSA
existed (?). I asked a CORSA director recently about this idea (surely not
my idea) and was practically chastised for even thinking such a thought.
Would it be SO expensive to come up with something for our Corvair repair
community? I drive my cars and truck pretty regularly and all of them have
the CORSA decal displayed. Why has this idea not been discussed here on VV
as a way of getting new members? Or is my thinking on this subject that
dumb?
> Timothy Shortle in Durango Colorado
> Looking forward to driving my Corvair to Iowa in June
>
> *******************************************
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:46:27 -0500
> From: Jay Pitchford <jay.pitchford at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: <VV> MEMBERSHIP RECRUITING
> To: shortle <shortle556 at earthlink.net>
> Cc: "virtualvairs at corvair.org" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
>
> I like that idea. I suggest just making up a CORSA poster (with some
Corvair eye candy) they can put up on their premises; it can't be all that
expensive for CORSA to make. Shoot, I'd be willing to chip into a separate
fund established to get them designed, printed & mailed. Also, think about
other places those could go ... I'd put one in/on/next to my car at any
local  classic car show I attend or exhibit at.
>
> It would be a smart business move for those shops that have a web presence
to promote CORSA with a link and perhaps a small electronic version of the
same poster. Many of those I've been on at least mention CORSA and/or
provide a link.Let's face it; CORSA and the shops are fishing in the same
water ... not competing, but complimenting each other's efforts.
>