<VV> Transmissions, e-Communique and other thoughts.

[james rice]

All:  Seth wrote: "Personally, I hate transmissions - well - taking them
apart anyway."  Me, I enjoy taking things apart.  It is trying to put them
back together I hate.....

For all of you who sent me a positive response to my comments on the
e-Communique, and for those of you with a different view, I thank each of
you for your contribution to the discussion.  I think both groups are
correct.

The reason for the e-Communique was never explained, simply announced.  Nor
was there any explanation of how the e-Communique could be used or not used.
I wrote what I did in tone and content purposefully, to give one or more of
those in a position to explain these things a really good chance to do so.
You can decide if the results lived up to your understanding of my
motivation.

Given the recent survey, the e-Communique could easily be viewed as the
beginning of the end for the p-Communique.

It is now my understanding you can neither save, copy nor print the
e-Communique.  Using a screen copy/save software is probably possible, but
very time consuming.  But then, some computer nerd will probably tell me I'm
wrong, and then prove it.  Don't bother.  I don't care.

Additionally, it is now my understanding, gained as the result of a phone
call, the e-Communique is for reading only by CORSA members, to satisfy the
need for a Corvair fix until the paper copy gets into your hands.  Sounds
like for some of you, the Communique really does arrive by snail mail!

Thus, the prime reason for the e-Communique is to address the poor service
some get from our friends in the USPS.  CORSA cannot do anything about the
USPS.  You can complain to your local postmaster.  Someplace in the back of
my mind, I seem to recall you can ask them to backtrack the delivery process
to identify the blockage.  But then again, I may need to check my own
medication levels, as I don't smoke anything (OK, maybe any occasional
tire...) nor drink anything stronger than Mountain Dew.

Personally, I usually get my Communique within 3 days of the oneth of the
month.  I got my paper copy yesterday, May 1st.  Same day as the
e-Communique's availability was announced.   It is the late arrival of
AutoWeek and WORLD Mag that drives me crazy.  And yes, I know it is a short
trip.

Now, the real issue.  CORSA membership currently cost about $0.11 a day. Or
$3 a month.  I personally do not know anybody in the car hobby who cannot
afford the cost of CORSA membership.  If you are indeed out there, I'm very
sorry for your financial condition.  I suspect you are not really in the car
hobby, but "merely" driving a old car.

We've seen on VV the comments, and sometime insults and accusations, about
Chapter members not being required to be CORSA members.  According to Tim
Mahler's column in the current (May) issue, about half of the chapter
members are not CORSA members.  The question is, what happens if CORSA tells
the Chapters that all their members must be CORSA members.  Will CORSA
membership go up, go down, or stay about the same?  What happens if CORSA
raises the cost of CORSA membership, to say $0.15 a day, or to $1.00 a week
(which ever is less and/or a round number)?  I think historically membership
goes down with dues increase.  Somebody needs to not just ask the question,
but to figure out "Why is that?"  See above comments about car hobby vs
driving an old car.

Does it matter what CORSA does?  Are we in a damned if we do and damned if
we don't situation?  If CORSA's cash flow is as negative as it is implied to
be, does it matter what the BoD does?  How many ways can an organization
crash and burn?

Seems to me CORSA, at best, needs to figure out how to raise the membership
numbers.  Some of you have referred to this as "mainstreaming".  Which
mostly seems to be the idea and commitment to take your car to non-Corvair
car hobby events and talk about the car and the parts availability and the
tech support and CORSA and the generally neat, somewhat iconoclast and
sometimes curmudgeonly people you know and love.  OK, maybe it is only know.

When I was on the BoD there was a misdirected effort to make promoting CORSA
the job of the CPF Staff Committee.  Thus turning the Corvair Preservation
Foundation into the CORSA Promotion Foundation.  Fought against that tooth
and nail.  But the idea of CORSA organizing chapters to go as a group to
non-Corvair car events has merit.  The Circle City (Indianapolis) chapter
does this very thing each fall.  Anybody looking for something to do, which
will be really difficult, time consuming and maybe expensive, with probably
no external rewards?!

This mainstreaming idea implies indirectly, but I think accurately, that a
lot of "Corvair people" have fundamentally different thought processes and
attitudes compared to non-Corvair car hobby people.  There is a certain
iconoclast-ness about Corvair people.  Or is it closed mindedness?  Isn't
closed mindedness one of the traits of extremist, found typically in
extremist religious and political groups and/or cults of all persuasions?
The old, "I'm right, you're wrong" but without the "live and let live"
civilized society requires.

In our previous discussion, weren't there non-CORSA members VV users who
said publicly something like "You cannot make me join CORSA."  Probably
true.  But the next question is, "Can we make you wish you had?"  Maybe
true?  Not True?  Does it matter with these people?  Do we need, much less
want, these people?

I have no insider information of what CORSA BoD's will do.  I am convinced
they do not know what they will do.  Must do.  As Lon Wall's Director's Turn
At the Wheel column points out, and as I know from life, as should you,
there is a bottom dollar amount it takes to run an organization which
provides goods or services.  I'm reasonably certain CORSA is below that
line.  Two questions:  What can our leadership do to get income above
expenses?  And to what degree do we support their decision(s) even if as
tight wades we must pay more for the goods and services we receive.
Interesting expression "tight wads".  If you think about the image: a wad of
money in hand, but not willing to pear off a few pieces of currency without
yelling and screaming.

Methinks two things must happen.  A dues increase for paper Communique
receivers (I'm one of them) and a serious concerted effort to get over and
cast off the "closed mindedness" and mainstream Corvairs and the one and
only organization which supports this corner of the car hobby.

And may I also say, mainstreaming also includes getting some press coverage?
Has anybody told "Car Crazy" aka Berry McGuire (Spelling?) we are going to
be in his neighborhood?

I do not envy anyone on the CORSA/CPF BoD's right now.  Ugly times and
difficult decisions.

Historically Yours,
			James Rice