I will, as Horrace has proposed, call for each of you to look at your representatives to the EC and consider if they are, in fact, representative of you, or should be replaced. I will go a step further. Find out who they really are and what they have really done for you, and for modeling.

Last year, early on, I called for support of Dave Mathewson. Many of you had never heard of him, nor did you know where he stood on the issues. There are some people (not all), currently on the EC, that will be running this year that rise to the level of Dave Mathewson. Would you want to turn them out of office from lack of knowledge?

Conversely, if you do not believe the actions represent you, or your desires, do you want to see them return to office? Do your homework, and make an informed decision.

At the same time, I wonder at some of Horrace’s points. While the magazines he sighted have long and storied histories, and have served the modeling community well, their circulations have not kept pace with the growth of the AMA. They have stagnated, or decreased, while the size of the AMA has more than tripled. If the implication was that not publishing MA was some sort of litmus test, IMHO, the correct decision was made. Actually, I do not believe it is a litmus test, and fail to see the connection.

The assertion that MA costs almost as much as insurance is relative, I suppose. In terms of dollars and the value of a dollar that may be a fair statement. In terms of percentage, the facts show that MA runs to less than half of the cost of insurance for a member. The numbers are all in the financial statement.

Recently, I have made the assertion that MA must be published to satisfy the requirements of the IRS. Horrace has taken exception to that information, which was partially supplied by Doug Holland, the current EVP of the AMA. When pressed, as recently as Jan 30, 2005, Horrace stated, in part: “JR, you're one or maybe two up on me. About all I've found is that there have been significant changes in the reg itself since I last researched it some time ago. I will for now take your word for whatever it says wherever it says.” http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...8&postcount=37 . I still maintain the position that there is, under the current circumstances, no alternative to publishing MA, and still satisfy the IRS.