ORIGINAL: Bob Mitchell
ORIGINAL: Stickbuilder
Your argument is flawed, simply because you are trying to divide the choices within the Open Membership.
Bill, you made that division with your comment about "your hobby/my hobby". You indicated that you didn't want your dues to "front" PPP activities.....activities you can participate in but CHOOSE not to. Just as a buck fifty of your dues went to "front" PPP activities this year, some of your dues also went to other AMA activities that you CHOOSE not to participate in. It's not about what the PPP members can and can't do it's about the fact that you've indicated that "your hobby" is different than "their hobby" and you don't want your dues to support or front it. Simple as that.
Now, unless you choose (emphasis on choose) to participate in every aspect of the hobby that AMA supports, then your dues are in fact being used to "front" AMA activities that aren't "your hobby" (since you choose not to participate). You don't seem to take exception to those, though. Here's what I think is going on there. I don't think that you, and more than a few others, believe that park flyers should be a part of AMA. (Note to others, I don't necessarily equate oppostion to the PPP program as oppositon to park flyers, but there are some whom the shoe fits) They aren't part of "your hobby", aren't real aeromodlers, as opposed to other areas that also aren't part of "your hobby" but are part of the 'real' AMA.
The fact of the matter is that the hobby is changing and will continue to change. The emphasis and involvement is changing from fuel powered kit/scratch built airplanes to ARF's/RTF's to small electric aircraft flown in areas that were not purpose built for flying model aircraft. The typical flyer 25 years ago was flying something he put together himself. That's changing and more often than not a new person is going to be flying an ARF bought over the internet. 25 years from now it will be different still and those flying kit built fuel powered planes may find themselves in the position of being in the minority and having those flying small electrics in their local park wondering why THEIR dues are going to front "your hobby".
AMA is right to recognize that the hobby is changing and to try to position themselves to support those in the area where things are changing the most. If they don't then AMA will indeed become a dinosaur, and you know what happened to them. This particular approach may not be the right way to do it, but they are right to move AMA in that direction.
Interestingly enough all this "my hobby"/'your hobby" talk has helped my gel my thoughts concerning a two tier membership, and I believe it's the wrong way to go. It's just going to further foster that "my/your" division that you have illustrated so well, and in the long run it will not be a good thing. One thing that has become obvious to me over the past several months is that AMA encompasses many areas and that for AMA to remain a strong advocate (or become a better, stronger advocate) that we need to think more along the terms of "our" hobby rather than "yours" or "mine". (I'm sure that noise I hear in the background is several of you whispering under your breath "what took him so long".
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So, I take exception to your characterization and arguement about "fronting" PPP with your dues, and think it's at least in part a smokescreen. OTOH I agree with you that a dual or multi-tier membership is not in the best long term interests of AMA.
There, doesn't that make you feel better?
