President's Perspective
It's funny how often I come to the 10th of the month, which is the deadline for this column, and have not only a blank piece of paper, but a blank expression as well. Most often it is getting started that is difficult, and once I figure out a subject and get started, it is easy to fill the column. Sometimes I have some piece of information which I intend to pass on, but it is not enough to base a whole column on, so I figure I'll stick it in at the end. Great theory, but as often as not, I end up filling up the space before I get it in, or I get so into the main subject that I simply forget it.
President's Perspective
A couple of columns back, I wrote about the possibilities of a two-tiered membership system, and it has created a firestorm on the Internet and in my E-mail! Most respondents misunderstood the origins of that column, and assumed that some such system was about to be enacted. This is not the case. Many respondents took this "proposal" as a way for AMA to hide a dues increase, in spite of the column's revenue-neutral statement. The numbers reflected a guess at the increase in premium mentioned, and were only a starting point for discussion. Ed McCollough was right when he suggested that I remove the numbers; however, I convinced him that without them as a starting point, the members would have no idea of what the system's effect would be.
President's Perspective: We need to preserve our sites
Most of us take our "right" to fly model airplanes as a given, but in reality that "right" doesn't exist. Flying our model airplanes is a privilege that has been "earned" by the hard work and efforts of those who have preceded us. Modelers in the past have fought for that privilege by fighting for it when it was threatened by legislation, and fighting for it by supporting their organizations efforts to get more frequencies. More recently, modelers in the northwest have had to take a strong stand against legislation in Oregon which would make model aircraft flying an excluded activity on all agriculturally zoned property in the state.
President's Perspective
It's funny how things happen. A couple of hours ago I was finishing up a late shift at work, banging my head against the wall trying to get a machine to cooperate. I knew that tonight was the deadline for the column, and I was wondering just how many members realize that the AMA officers are elected volunteers, and have regular jobs and duties just like any other member. In short, I was feeling bummed out and had no idea what to write about in this column. When I got home at around 10:30 p.m., I sat and read the mail, and found this letter from AMA member Nicholas Hallett. It says a lot, especially about the organization, and it made my day much brighter. I decided to share it with you.
President's Perspective
"Break's over, back on your heads," goes the punch line of an old (bad) joke. After getting last month off, the officers' columns are back. While we didn't have to write columns last month, it surely doesn't mean that we took time off! It seems like I sprint from one committee meeting to another lately. We have been slowly and methodically increasing our dependence on committees as a way of contending with increasing workloads. It's important that we are prepared to change the way we do business as the world in which we live changes. Only by having committees dedicated to particular areas of concern can we hope to stay abreast of the times.
