Just today there was a long time club member with 2 dogs. Kind of Collie like but I have no clue as to what. They were very well behaved and great animals.
We had a lot of flying and shot some left-over fireworks, and the dogs never flinched or pooped on the shelter floor. Real fun day. So enough about dogs.

In yesterday's mail I received a second AMA envelope with my second 2013 membership card along with the common information. Not bad but why? Postage was .45 cents, stated on envelope. If just 100,000 members received such, that amounts to $45,000.00 in Yankee Green, just for postage.

Come on Mr. Mathewson, and member's choice, Mr. Brown, methinks you need not follow the DC crowd and throw our donations away without cause, other than if it comes in you just have to pass it on.

Please respond here and inform me/us why this is happening. As a Life Member I have previously paid the dues that you asked for. In addition my name is above the long list of average donors. I am sacraficing a few beers just to try to help model aviation. If it is an inconvenience for you to accept my donations for aeromodeling, well I can pick up a few more beers rather than cause you undue strife or stress. Hope to hear from you soon.

This ought to be gooooooooood!

I cleverly attempted to place a pic of a soapbox, but internal server error 500. Drats, spoiled my lame humor intent [X(]

It is my understanding that the cards are mailed out by a contractor. Some years ago, I did not receive a card because someone did not understand that I was due one as a CD (this was back in the good old days!). I called and they sent me two, mine and one for someone I did not know but who was local. I looked up his address in the phone book and forwarded his card. Always glad to hep the AMA![8D]

A few years back, I received a duplicate card without asking.
I asked around the club, no one else did.

Yes, we need a serious soapbox and maybe a bull horn. And all this rant for less than 1% of the AMA's total dues income. sheesh!

Hos
If halve the people Flying RC had the Brains of a Dog we would have no worries

With bulk mailing rates less than .45 cents Hoss's math does not add up. I would rather go back to bashing the dog's or more appropriately their owners.

Regards
Frank

Money is money, and in this case it is wasted money that could be used elsewhere.

Hoss is hard up for issues!

So what, would you rather go back to the early '90's and the SFA?  Talk about a black hole that sucked up money.  I don't think anybody wants to go back there....

Sorry Frank, but you get the Dunce Cap for right now. Read the post. I stated I used the amount as stamped on AMA's envelope. It was $.45 or 45 Cents. My math does have its share of mistakes, however .45 X 100,000 equals 45,000 in my scratch plus both my small computers agree.

Now just last evening I received a phone call from my new District VIII AMA District Vice President. We discussed the situation. He was very much a part of the AMA
Protocol and blamed it on some changes in the AMA's Introductory Pilot Instructor program which had some small changes last year. He set out explaining the Intro Pilot Program and never listened to me when I tried to inject that I was one of the first IPs when the program was first instituted. [:-] I quickly found out no need to try to really discuss something with these guys.

His call was not a result of this post. It was because I sent a copy, however better phrased, to the AMA Pres. the AMA Ex. Director, and my Dist DVP.

And to RC Paul: Maybe so, but when I see such a waste, then as one who has been AMA since in the 1940s, have served in a number of AMA Activities including AMA D-VP, one Election by Write-In Vote, CD since 1963, Leader since 1964, worked a lot of AMA functions, Club Presidents and other officers, supported AMA in many areas, including serving at a number of NATs, always a member of 1 to 4 clubs, an AMA Life member but I donate to AMA each year far more than my dues, financed a large club's flying facility, (www.jetero.com) I simply feel it is duty to question what I see as a waste of those donations.
Take a look at the past several MA magazines. Many many members are donating beyond dues. Do they NOT have a right to have a say in what AMA does with those distributions?
While this past year I donated a considerable amount of $$ to certain needs. IMO those associations were mostly just partying up every penny and did NOTHING to provide for the needs those funds were so directed. Now they wonder why my faucet has been closed. I don't wish for that to happen to AMA.
AMA is our only hope to keep Aeromodeling facilities in being.
Holding on to the saddle knob may keep you on the horse but the REINS tell the horse which direction to take. GET ACTIVE!

since those cards are sent out by a 3rd party, there is a bit more outlay involved that just the postage mentioned. i promise ya, the third party is not doing the work for just the cost of postage.

<blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">I agree with you mongo. As a government contractor I up charge what a government employee COULD do by roughly 27%.</blockquote><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
</blockquote><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">So lets say we add a 27% charge for the third party for doing the work and mailing out those hard to handle and pesky letters. </blockquote><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
</blockquote><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">.45 cents + 27%= .5715 </blockquote><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
</blockquote><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">100,000 members x .5715= $57150.00 ! </blockquote><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
</blockquote><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">Yikes! And I thought $45,000 hurt.</blockquote>

Right, in my pocket, $45K would go a long way. But to the AMA it is pocket lint.

Anyway, I need a membership card to prove my AMA membership to my club. Since, they have the only usable flying field, for my kind of flying, that is, I am kinda stuck.

So how about some alternative AMAmembership proof for us members who actually need proof of membership?

If I see a penny on the ground, I pick it up. You know the story about starting with a penny then doubling the amount every day... Just wish I could find that many pennies!

Unfortunately, this is the political game we have to play....is really sad that one has to be a member to enjoy a hobby. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm a believer in having insurance and belonging to a community of folks who believe and donate money to a good cause.<div>
</div><div>I guess how  I feel about the AMA is kind of how I feel about paying taxes. I don't mind paying taxes IF I was guaranteed the money I was being forced to give was going to something productive. I can't stand the fact that I'm paying to fatten a suits wallet or the money is being completely wasted.</div><div>
</div><div>With the AMA, the same applies, I almost feel forced to pay.....</div><div>
</div><div>
</div>

It would go a long way to helping provide that "Foundation" they are about to get set up. For years I pushed for AMA to follow that plan, a Foundation for the 501 (c) (3) 0peration and then a C Corp to provide lobby services for model aviation. I was ridiculed and laughed at. Now comes an election that brought in a new President after a sitting President takes over the Paid Position of Executive Director. Then a new President comes from the EC VP position and beats out the one individual that everyone I know thought was a shoo-in, for the presidency, especially me. That AMA election, combined with the fact that the election was the first in-house vote count since sometime in the mid-'80s, smells almost as much as another recent election, just not nearly as big.

If you are an AMA member, you have an AMA Member Card . One card is standard. Why do you need two? If you lose one, you can always make another by PAYING for one. OTOH, Since You have already have one simply copy it both sides, lay them back to back, between two sheets of clear tape, trim it up and you have two. So easy to do. Use a little thought process and you have another proof of membership. Ningun necisitar alternativa.

Two cards? I only get one card. What are you talking about?

Looks like an isolated incident. If they want you to have 2 cards, they could just mail them in one envelope

If they'd mail out a second card to every member, the not only had to pay the postage, printing the cards, envelopes and third party fees would add up to a lot more them 45K. That would be a concern. Otoh, if the third party made the mistake, they should be paying for it.


And Ibring my dog to the field, she is very well behaved, but not am AMA member and might pee on the grass.

Maybe they just send extra cards to the ones on their watch list...not the ones that follow along well... I've gotten extra cards a quite a few times now...LOL

Oh Man, JohnShe, You are always good for a laugh. You asked ".... how about some alternative AMA membership proof for us members ..." and I gave you a method to keep an extra card with you without having to ask for it. Now you ask "What are you talking about?" That is funny.
You really should if not already take a look at a political career. Very few of those people have any clue about what they are speaking of. You are well trained in that respect. You would be at the top of the group, in a short time.

Seeing as this post is about dogs, I thought I'd weigh in.

If multiple mailings really are being sent to everyone, then you have a legitimate gripe.

But if it's only an occasional slip-up where someone accidentally gets sent two cards every once in a while, I don't see it as a big deal. Investing in the quality control system to prevent all mistakes would cost more than the total cost of the occasional slip ups that each cost 45 cents in postage and maybe a dollar in making up the card and getting it sent out.

Just log on AMA(( MEMBER Verification)) put a person last name + AMA ### and guess what it will tell you

cant beleve I read the hole thing !!!! R/L

The answer all along is to not even have membership cards...

every one who belongs to any club schould know when it is time to renew and do it so the clubs can save money buy not sending out a notice will save a lot of money for the club