ORIGINAL: jester_s1
To the OP- $58 isn't that much to pay for what you get. A subscription to any RC magazine is going to cost around 1/2 that, so there's half you dues already. Add to that the fact that AMA helps get fields built and to stay open, provide a central connection for vendors and product developers, and do some lobbying to make sure RC flight isn't regulated beyond what is necessary, it's a good value.
Jester,
I agree with your basic premise here. A year ago I joined AMA and a local club, and believe that my club and AMA dues are a bargain for what I'm getting.
The OP has a different situation, though. The nearest AMA club and field are 80 miles away. He's currently flying elsewhere, and apparently has insurance in place to cover him in the unlikely event that he damages something in the rural area where he's flying. Under those circumstance I can see where he would think that the annual AMA dues doesn't really buy him much, since he indicated he would only be flying at an AMA field 1 or 2 days a year. That's ~$30 a pop, plus a 160 mile round trip to participate in some sort of fly-in. I'm not sure I'd do that either.