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Post by Kelly Jessop on Apr 18, 2009 6:44:34 GMT -5
I am disturbed by the agenda item from the last BOG meeting,and trying to understand the rationale behind it.
24) Elimination of Basic Membership Voting Privileges
Liebman moves: The Basic Membership Category in the Society will not include any voting privileges.
Discussion: Because the Basic Member receives only the NSS News Members Manual out of all the Society publications, the member is not informed about the Society, and what is happening currently on the national scene. Being a Basic Member rather than a Regular member is a conscious decision by the individual not to be involved with the details of Society operations. Without knowledge of the Society and what the Society is involved in they should not have a vote in Society business.
I understand this motion was tabled pending the next BOG meeting,but I hate to see the NSS disenfrachise any of its members.
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Post by madratdan on Apr 18, 2009 10:02:44 GMT -5
From what I saw and heard.....it was tabled because we were out of time and there was not going to be a unanimous vote on it. If you look back at item 23 about changing the dues structure from $24 to $20 for Basic membership, you will find that motion was shot down as the BOG had already spent much time at the last convention to come up with this price and it should have been argued then and not brought back up now. Many were offended by this motion to lower the dues. Bill put motion 24 on to stir up controversy, plain and simple. I stood up at the end and tried to explain to them that Basic members do not need magazines to find out the inner workings and whats going on in the NSS. Yes...... I am one of those Basic members that are pissed about this motion. I'm more informed than most of our grotto members and I'm constantly asked at meetings about such things. I find all my info off the internet by reading the business pages and these forums. When was the last time the NSS News or JCKS printed board minutes or any officer reports? Hopefully Bill will withdraw his motion before the next meeting. It was brought up that maybe there could be a sort of compromise for the CDS and give them a price break or discount for those members, but most didn't want to go that route either. One of them mentioned to me after the meeting that their software couldn't handle something like that.  Other arguments were...... diving equipment is so expensive ........ the $4 difference was compared to affording the price of a cup of Starbucks coffee.......and so few members were actually complaining that motion 23 was not a justifiable reason to reduce the dues because of a few unhappy people. On another note......Bills truck broke down Friday night and I ended up getting it towed for him......through his AAA.... to a shop down the street from my house. (He'd found a place in Manitou called.....and I'm not making this up.....Asshole Automotive. I know the guys there and I talked him out of it for obvious reasons) He ended up with wiring problems and it took till Tuesday afternoon to fix. We had several talks about this issue and others. This kind of motion seems to be the norm as the BOG plots against each other on issues. Dysfunctional is a word that kept coming up. PM me if you would like more detail on names of who was for and against the dues decrease. I wish I could have seen more of the meeting, but I was one of the workers. During one of my only slack times...they had their closed meeting and discussed the WNS stuff and whatever else they talk about. I missed the Huntsville office presentation which I really wanted to see. I saw the Indiana presentation and it looked like a real money pit. The road in will need to be modified and they might even need to buy more land to make it work for delivery trucks. The area won't allow a normal septic and they would have to build a mound system......whatever that is.....never heard of it before. They do have a guy that could replace Bill Torode though.  Needless to say.....I wasn't impressed. The whole BOG meeting experience convinced me that there is no way in hell I could sit through 3 years of meetings. A BOG member I will never make. I wonder if Basic Members can even run for the BOG. If they take away our voting rights.....my volunteer effort toward the 2011 convention and the NSS Youth Group Liason position I hold will go by the way side.  Now would be the time for the CDS to change their policies about requiring NSS membership to belong and/or dive at their sites.  |
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Post by Kelly Jessop on Apr 18, 2009 11:43:14 GMT -5
Thank you for sharing your comments. The CDS has done a poor job of keeping up with the society in the past,but I am telling them they can't afford to do that anymore. The CDS needs to be a more proactive IO.
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Post by madratdan on Apr 18, 2009 11:58:09 GMT -5
Hey Kelly, It should be the first item on the agenda at the Texas convention. A strong showing and protest at the opening of that BOG meeting might be a good way for the CDS to be heard on this issue. Personally....I'd probably show up with protest signs and T-shirts to sell to help pay for the 60% dues increase. |
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Post by Kelly Jessop on Apr 18, 2009 13:56:06 GMT -5
The CDS can be heard very well,at the COG meeting we have 107 votes,but I am sure there will be some comments from the membership.
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Other arguments were...... diving equipment is so expensive ........ the $4 difference was compared to affording the price of a cup of Starbucks coffee.......and so few members were actually complaining that motion 23 was not a justifiable reason to reduce the dues because of a few unhappy people.