<VV> [Fwd: Re: CORSA Memberships]

[Lon Wall]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Re: CORSA Memberships
Date: 	Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:25:50 -0800
From: 	Lon Wall <corvairs at pacifier.com>
To: 	kenpepke at juno.com <kenpepke at juno.com>
References: 	<20080213.142415.1270.4 at webmail11.dca.untd.com>



What are all the standard arguments?

1) If our club has to "force" our members to join National that's not 
right. - So you mean when your local club "forces" a member to pay local 
dues that's not right as well?

2) National dues can't be raised any more because some people can't 
afford it. - What makes the current dues a magical amount that people 
CAN afford?

3) If you raise the annual fee to the local clubs (to cover insurance) 
the local clubs will drop out. - So they can get thier own insurance for 
a better deal than $20.00 a year?

4) This is just like the government wanting more and more (a special 
appeal to all the tax limitation advocates) - Oh, and the  grocery 
stores, Wal-mart and the Corvair vendors, when they have to raise thier 
prices to you, that makes us just like the government too?

Corsa is a business - a non profit business to be sure. But it has to 
make it's expenses every year or it will fail (that means cease to 
exist). I believe that the vast majority of our membership understands 
that they have to pay as they go and that support for Corsa has to 
include adequate financial support as well. I also know that there will 
always be a vocal minority of people who will wail loud and long if dues 
are increased, or if clubs are asked to kick in a bit more money to 
cover the ultra-valuable insurance they get (insurance that is possible 
ONLY because of Corsa).

But Smitty said it best (the most honestly) Those who throw the biggest 
temper tantrums over this are probably the least valuable members of the 
club. What if I came into your restaurant and said -  "I'd like to be 
seated, have some water, look at the menu, bring me some crackers and 
let me tie up your waiter for 10 minutes while I ask him questions about 
your food. Then when he asks if I'm ready to order I'll stand up and 
yell - What!? You expect me to pay for my food? You'll regret this! I'll 
never come into this restaurant again! You've lost me as a customer (ad 
nauseum)".  Questions - Do you

1) - Fret terribly and go back to your restaurants board of directors to 
try and find another way to come up with a way to pay for that guys 
dinner - After all it's bad business to lose customers.
2) - Wring your hands and implore the board of directors to remember 
that he might be on a "fixed income" (like most people by the way) and 
he probably can't afford the dinner.
3) -  Throw a party because a self-centered whiner is never going to 
come back into your restaurant.

Most of us are adults here. The issues being discussed by the Corsa 
Board of Directors are certainly not easy to deal with. Our biggest 
obstacle in any change is the simple fact of "That's not how we've been 
doing it all these years and I don't want to change". The board is going 
to have to come to grips with the reality that we can no longer be 
driven by the small vocal minority of whiners.

In the past, when membership was flush and a lot of other things were 
different, Corsa squeaked by by throwing all our efforts into a 
"blender" and hoping that, in the end, it would all wash. Those times 
are over. As with MANY other things in our economey it's time to 
understand the need for radical changes.

I was asked three years ago to fill a vacancy in the Western division. I 
did not seek this position but stepped in because I wanted to help. I 
will no longer be on the board at the Ventura meeting, so these 
decisions will not be made by others. Perhaps this is why I am as blunt 
as I am right now. But I know that my bluntness may cost me - I'm the 
world's 2nd largest  parts vendor and a few of  my customers may not 
appreciate my opinions. I'm sorry, I could give you a different 
story,but that doesn't change reality.

I forsee a day when the Corsa Board of Directors can spend all its time 
on issues that mean something to the Corvair "movement" rather than 
expending so much energy on trying to find convoluted, non-controversial 
ways to keep us afloat for another year.

Lon Wall
Western Director Corsa