Guys - I rarely post (maybe I should keep my mouth shut now)
No reaon to not express your opionion. That's what makes this country what it is. It applies to the government and it applies to our organizatoins. Being silent when something is wrong, that's the "wrong" approach. Standing up for what you think, even if you're out-numbered, that's what freedom of speach is all about.
but it seems the majority of you feel like it's already been implemented.... It hasn't.
No, I don't think anyone here thinks it's already a done deal. The point is that DB brings it up once in a while. Many of us think it's a bad idea, so we say so. And if enough voices say so, then our elected represetitives will know we think it's a bad idea, and together we might actually prevent it from happening. It's far eaiser to stop a bad idea before it's implemented than undo it afterwards. So, that's what is going on here. Trying to stop a bad idea before we have to work to undo it. Nothing wrong with that. Sure, arguments here get a bit hot. That's the nature of online forums. But it's better to argue here than be silent and meekly accpet whatever is imposed from above.
Secondly - It also appears that the majority of you already have it figured out.....you don't.
Bit assertion there. Prove it. Back it up. Otherwise, I call that line "BS". I'm listening to your arguement, but you better have one after a statement like that.
Third - If you all have such great ideas about how the AMA should be ran....run for office and try to implement your ideas. Best of luck - too many old people afraid of change in this organization - period -
You're making two points here. First, that we aren't entitled to raise our voices to our leaders unless we run for office. That's like saying we can't object to something W does because we didn't run for president. It's a bogus statement. Many of the people who have been speaking up in this forum DO walk the walk, DO or HAVE put in their time in whatever way they are able.
The second point, that there are too many "old" people to change anything, well, I'd object to the comment about "old people" (though I'm in my mid-30's), but agree that the majority of members don't know about the issues and don't care. That's a job for education, for people to inform the membership. You're the president of your club? How many times have you mentioned issues to your membership? How many times have you done anything beyond your local area? You don't have to, but when you talk about the mass of uninformed, resistant to change masses, what have you done about it? Things COULD be done to get the word out.
Fourth - If you can't stand the AMA - group together and create a competing organization ran the way you want to see it ran.
"America, love it or leave it"?? Nope. Far better to change it from the inside. Fix what is broken. Keep what works. This idea that we have to blindly follow the "leaders" and not object when something bad is being proposed is just wrong. Creating a new organization has been tried, and there are major reasons it hasn't worked yet. The AMA does a lot of things "right", and it just wouldn't make sense to try to duplicate all that. It makes far more sense to speak up about one bad policy idea than to toss out the baby with the bath water over one issue.