Hydro and Appowner. First off thank you. Those last two posts seemed to have the attitude dialed down and I wanted to let you know I appreciate it. In regards to the cost of items on base, perhaps the Air Force is different. Prior to my father retiring we lived on base at Travis. I remember many trips to the commissary with my mother. When my parents split I went with my father and we lived in Fairfield. My dad still drove onto base ( 12 miles ) to buy groceries and gas.

Appowner, regardless of whether you want it or not any and all servicemen have my appreciation. That is the attitude I must carry with me everyday into work. I'm certain that you recall me saying that my career for the past 20 years has been working for defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, L3 and Aerojet Rocketdyne. Truth is that I have most likely had my hands on just as many programs as guys in the military. That is what I presently do for my country. I will also early next month be putting my youngest son on a bus to Camp Pendleton. I am very proud of him but as you can imagine there are mixed emotions.


Now back to thread topic. We should be able to share our points of Veiw without it getting nasty. We all,are adults right. I get it that some of you have had bad experiences with either the AMA or clubs. We all have the right to enjoy our hobby the way we want as long as it is done legally and safely. As long as those two items are met neither side of this devide is not doing any harm to the other. Yes the financials of the AMA look bad right now. All organizations go through such challenges. Look at Sears right now. The AMA has survived multiple wars and conflicts and several recessions. I am confident they will survive this as well. If not I see the seperate special interest groups stepping into the CBO role. The dues collecting club environment is never going to go away. As far as guys within the AMA not voting, IMO that means that those guys are happy with the way things are being run. Just like here on RCU. We have hundreds of AMA members that are also regular contributors here on RCG. How many of them come into the AMA forum and post? I see only a handful. People generally only voice their opinions when there is something to complain about otherwise they rather remain quiet. How many times have we all complained about a server at a restaurant? How many have taken the time to ask for a manager and wait around to tell them you received great service? Nobody here is going to end up being The savior of the hobby.