Bye-Bye.

Hmmm...I can only imagine AMA has a bottom bottom feeder classifacation [:'(] for guys that won't re-up...

Anyway, you won't have to pay the model airplane tax this year LOL...

Yep, every year I ask myself if this is it also...if it weren't for some of the really good guys, it would be impossible to endure the real *****s that find their way into way too many of the meaningful position within the organization...and we keep asking� why isn't the AMA growing"... The answers are clear as a bell and their effects have certainly eroded my enthusiasm for AMA also. I once thought this hobby was one big smorgasbord of interests but have since seen the effects of many single minded interests cause a certain disconnect that is hard to overcome...some days there seems hope but it fades back into "my choice in the hobby is better than yours because..." or “you be good little boys and girls, straighten up your uniform and walk single file to the library and be quite�… or “drink the Kool-aid and blindly follow the AMA so that it can be bigger, more powerful and can control model aviation for you much better�…


Yep, until the average AMA member learns to truly embrace America’s vast individuality that freedom was meant to provide and openly and clearly denounce the “highway or my way� egotistically overbearing and controlling mindsets that is all too often ingrained within…people will often take the highway…seen it over and over again…a real shame considering all the really good people within the AMA that truly are about promoting and enjoying the hobby instead of pushing their personal agendas…however they have rationalized them…

AMA should have only one goal…promote Model Aviation…the rest will take care of itself but if we are going to be overly concerned about promoting just the AMA…the future is certain…


Oh well…Merry Christmas all.

I believe our whole club (all 6 of us now) is gonna go to the usama Ins. None of us are really interested in the mag anymore, an that is the sticking point here. We don't go anywhere else to fly, so belonging to the ama now is really a moot point. Also, the landowner says he has more ins. on the field than we or he could ever need anyway.
But we will still welcome anyone that has ama ins to our field, unlike the other way around.

Do what??? You mean your not going to put up big signs that say something like "USAMA members Only!" or "You must display your USAMA card stapled to your head" or do a cavity search on anyone who says they came to fly without their USAMA card... Man... how can it be a hobby without all that stuff?

Ronnie,

How can you not belong to the AMA and still be a Bottom Feeder?

Bill, AMA 4720

I hope that muncie will still honor my Bottom Feeder status. If not, I'll just hafta be a normal person that flys I guess

But I'll always be a brother Bottom Feeder at heart.....[8D]

I think the incidence of AMA members learning to truly embrace America's vast individuality that freedom was meant to provide, etc, etc is probably greater than the incidence of Americans in general embracing the same things.

Your comment sounds good, but so do a lot of political sound bites.

I have yet to see any AMA document, policy or person that is training folks to be of closed minds and non-inclusive. Those things come from the individual and not from the organization.

I think that if the AMA sent out a plea requesting that all members remember at all times to engage prospective members, guests, new pilots and other folks in only positive ways, it would likely not change much..the folks with antisocial problems would still have those problems and the folks that know how to behave politely already know how to behave.

There is ample evidence that the AMA promotes model aviation as well as the organization itself...All it takes to see that is an open mind and the willingness to do a little research.

Ok, if there is �ample evidence�, as you put it, that AMA is promoting model aviation beyond member’s benefits or some obscure and arguable incidental means I would like very much to hear about it…Please take the time to enlighten us as I would love nothing more than to attribute something great to AMA in that regard… Until then I will hold the position that most everything AMA does is for its members…nothing really wrong with that but it is, what it is…nothing more…nothing less…

In one of the forums…I think it was the “official� AMA forum site…one of the more prolific posters there actually said something to the effect; I don’t want AMA to “subsidize� (I think that was his word choice) flying sites outside of AMA club fields…or something like that…and that sentiment went unchallenged there… and is often echoed through out the chorus lines I hear sung all too often…by AMA members…

Face it, many if not most AMA members feel strongly that any benefit of AMA should reside in the AMA organization and exist mainly for the members…HMMM… If AMA had any “real initiative� to educate(the word for today) municipalities about the very real community benefits of having flying sites for the general public that didn’t require AMA’s usual constraints, the members would flair up like hemorrhoids especially if they learnt of any monetary expense to educate those municipalities… So far, as far as I can tell, all the education to municipalities thus far has been to sell them on AMA…not so much about the real benefits of community Model Aviation…Likewise, I am equally sure PPP is just a grab for an already existing facet of our hobby…


Now, please??? back up yor statement of ample evidence...

What's wrong with not wanting my money spent on someone who's not willing to support my organization? I don't like it when my tax dollars are spent on multi-million dollar bridges to nowhere, either.

LOL...just as I have always said...you prove my point with that typical response...thank you...

Oh, and you wonder why AMA isn't growing...that is the real enigma...go figure...so terribly funny…[]

There is nothing wrong with an organization providing goods, services, etc. exclusively to its members. This is common and usual practice and explains why folks pay dues to become members. On the other hand, if the goal of the organization is to grow its membership, it needs to advertise its benefits to non-members. I don't think the AMA does much of a job at this, and I would like to see the AMA spending more thought, money, etc. on promoting model aviation to non-members; to the public at large.

Nothing wrong with that Jim, except.............

AMA represents itself (to the Fed) as a charitable organization providing services (educational) to the general citizenry. On the precept that it does what it says, AMA is granted a very advantaged tax status by IRS. The US taxpayers are not getting a dole from AMA for whatever benefit they may get from AMA, as they are providing the organization with a subsidy by paying AMA's fair share of the Federal tax burden.

Frankly I don't see the non-member taxpayers getting any return for this financial support of AMA, and so find myself sharing LCS's position on this.

Cletus

Edit: formating error

The AMA imposes no load on our society in general and therefore should not be taxed.......regardless of how benevolent anyone thinks the AMA needs to be.

LCS, are you suggesting that there's something wrong with my response?

Heck no...I believe it was a honest answer. Why would you ask such a question???

But to put this into a very real perspective, you seem to find it ok to come to this forum as well as others and participate without paying RCU to do so...hard to understand how you rationalize that dichotomy given your stated position about AMA's charge within the hobby...

Of course, it is hard to say RCU doesn’t promote the hobby…as that is all they do, regardless of membership…hmmm…did you send in your yearly payment to RCU for that privilege??? It is about paying for what you get…isn’t it???

ROFALMO.......... what logic............... no seriously.......... what logic?????? [X(] [X(][X(][X(]

Is this what you get with a personalized AMA name/number?

Let's see now, I didn't say RCU doesn't promote the hobby. You're the one who brought that subject up. As far as paying for the privilege of posting here at RCU and other forums, I opted for the non-paying, non-voting membership. I try to do what I can to promote the hobby, even if you don't agree with me. I'm sure there are many things we don't agree on and that's OK.

Yup, I get what I pay for. A ration of you know what from folks like you. It's FREE!!!

If you don't mind my asking, how much have you paid for the privilege of posting here? I do buy from some of their sponsors, but I guess that doesn't count, does it.

I guess you missed my point...I pay nothing for the "privilege of posting here"...neither do you...Hmmm...makes us eguals here doesn't it....of course, the Howdy Doody pupits really hate that...LOL

From the above post, it looks like nothing has changed in the new year. Folks still flinging poo around here as usual.

I thought that would get tiresome after awhile, but I guess not. Must be a hobby in itself I suspect.

Carry on.

Frank

Lots of people feel that way about life. They feel they deserve a free ride without any donation to the cause.

Heck, IMO, those that don't pay their way have no complaint about whatever they get since it is FREE!

Check just above his avatar. On my screen, I notice "Platinum Member". That's well adequate. Minimum is close to AMA Dues.

Maybe it's because someone came on here around April of '08 and started a lot of poo flinging. Now he wonders why he was/is a target when the poo settled/settles on the ceiling fan. [8D]

Perhaps you can find solace in that other forum where everyone tip-toes through the tulips hand in hand. [sm=49_49.gif]

There you can find your HAPPY NEW YEAR. [sm=angel_smile.gif]

What 'poo' did I sling in April of '08? Oh, I see, it wasn't me. Sigh....

One can make contributions to non-profit organizations, the AMA for example, and take a tax write off. You cannot take a tax write off for your membership dues because they are a payment for services. Well, actually, if you make reportable money off model airplanes, you can deduct your AMA dues as a professional organization expense.

I know exactly why the AMA is not growing. It is simply because more people are leaving for whatever reason, than are joining. End of thread.

Bill, AMA 4720