Is AMA just about politics?

[Johnfish]

Reading this forum has been a real EYE OPENER :eek:

I did not realize there was such a political undercurrent within the AMA.

I had been a member until this past year when family problems curtailed much of my flying and finances.

I was actually looking forward to getting back into glow flying as well as my electrics and was about to send in my application.

But after reading the BS in this column Im not sure I want to be a member of an organization that has such a bunch of loony toons running or trying to run the show. I will not mention any names and I hope the moderators will not edit me for this comment.

Is what I am seeing here an exception to the rule or is this type of political crap comon place through out AMA.

Someone please tell me before I throw away 60 dollars (or what ever the dues are now).

Thanks,

John

[easytiger]

Emphatically, NO. Beleive me, it's just a few knuckleheads like me, on the web, and the vast majority of people are very happy with the way things are, and think that AMA does a good job helping the hobby.
Do NOT get the impression that this kind of craziness is what is on the mind of the average flyer...most people are too smart to get involved.
Do NOT get the impression that the people in charge are actually participating in this kind of nutiness...notice the complete lack of actual elected AMA officials participating? They got smart a long time ago, and realized that sparring with doofuses on the web was not a productive way of spending time.
Don't get me wrong...there ARE issues to be discussed and debated, and that process does happen, but it does not happen on the internet. If you have an issue, usually you can pick up the phone and get an answer from your VP or from Muncie, and you will get a totally different perspective from the one you get from reading the boards.
So...It's an exception, not the rule. Don't worry about it.

[Johnfish]

Thank you for the reassurances easy tiger. But I am still following the "ballots are out" thread. If nothing else its fun reading.

As a completely unbiased uninterested 3rd party I have to admit that one of the gentleman in that thread is making a complete horses behind of himself. :D (Trying to keep it family friendly and again hoping the moderators look the other way) I will leave it to the readers of the thread to determine who that is.

John

[easytiger]

Originally posted by Johnfish
Thank you for the reassurances easy tiger. But I am still following the "ballots are out" thread. If nothing else its fun reading.

As a completely unbiased uninterested 3rd party I have to admit that one of the gentleman in that thread is making a complete horses behind of himself. :D (Trying to keep it family friendly and again hoping the moderators look the other way) I will leave it to the readers of the thread to determine who that is.

John

I'm sure it's ME who's making a horse's behind!;)

Like you said, though, it IS fun reading. Sometimes if you give someone enough rope, they will hang themselves without much help.

[J_R]

I was sure it's me.
I have invited others to view the AMA forum for comic relief.

JR

[Johnfish]

J R

Never ASSUME anything as it tends to make an out of "U" and "ME" :D.

Again as a disinterested third party (remember I am not an AMA member at this time) I know who I would NOT vote for based on the "campaign promises" or lack thereof that were stated in the other threads.

Maybe this particular candidate will get the message that he is only hurting his own campaign with his statements.

Again I have no vested interest in this as I am not a member and I dont believe I would even be in his district if I was.

John

Edited for content by moderator.

[easytiger]

As Artie Fufkin said in Spinal Tap:
"It's all my fault. Go ahead...kick this ... No seriously, do it...kick my..."
I would not worry that much, he'll never get elected to any office again, not even school crossing guard.
I mean this in all seriousness:
There IS a lot of serious business and debate to AMA, but it DOES NOT happen on-line. And it is not so rancorous as what happens here, that just does not work. As evidenced by how bad things got back in 1980 or so when one particular perpetual candidate was mistakenly voted into office...the business of AMA was hamstrung by the stupidity.

Edited for content by moderator.

[Johnfish]

Thanks again for the assurances easytiger! I will be sending in my new application and get flying again. Its a shame that Don locked the other thread. I would like to have seen the response from Hossfly!

Oh well I guess its back to OTD for the controversial threads:p


John

[easytiger]

It's a shame, but as I see it, it's up to THEM to decide what is appropriate and what is not. They probably have a better handle on what the ezoners want to read and what not...in this case, it's the mod's 4000 posts to my 400, I'm going to take it on faith that their judgement was correct.
Though I also enjoy reading horrace's posts, I don't hear any answers to any actual questions from him, I did not see it getting any better.
I'm not brownnosing here, I just see the mod's point, and I don't want to be the one to create extra work for volunteers, if I can avoid it.

[J_R]

Originally posted by Johnfish
J R

Never ASSUME anything as it tends to make an out of "U" and "ME" :D.

Again as a disinterested third party (remember I am not an AMA member at this time) I know who I would NOT vote for based on the "campaign promises" or lack thereof that were stated in the other threads.

Maybe this particular candidate will get the message that he is only hurting his own campaign with his statements.

Again I have no vested interest in this as I am not a member and I dont believe I would even be in his district if I was.

John

If you are thinking about joining the AMA now is a great time. You get the 4th quarter of this year for free. For the $58 dues, you get all of next year as well. No vote this year, though. You have to wait till next year to get in on all this fun... but, don't let that scare you off :p
JR

Edited the quote by moderator.

[Tres Wright]

John, you don't have to be heavy into politics to enjoy the AMA's offerings. I pay my dues and go fly. I applaude those who get into the politics enough to know the nuances, but it's not my bag. The AMA does a lot for our hobby, it's worth the small investment from each of us to keep it alive. Join up and pat yourself on the back for giving something back to this great hobby :)

[J_R]

Tres is absolutely right. The AMA offers a lot more than politics. Only about 10% of the membership votes. Of that, most votes will be cast for the incumbent, just because he is the incumbent. There are a very few of us that watch what is going on politically.

Of more concern to you are things like the insurance AMA provides to you, your club and the clubs landowner. The AMA's efforts to help clubs find and retain flying sites. Sanctioned events, both for competition and fun, and a list of about 50 other things.

Probably the best reason is the camaraderie among folks at the local club. The bs'ing and sharing of information and stories. The help on building and flying.

It's only fun to fly alone so long. You will find the benefits of the AMA and an AMA chartered club are more than worth the money.

JR

[Jim Branaum]

The AMA is MUCH MUCH more than the petty personal politics.

It is flying with friends and being able to go visiting elsewhere and finding the same kind of folks.

It is haveing fun helping others, and occassionally doing something really unusual.

It includes a list of things that few have considered.

I will quote he list made up by Red Schoelfield in a thread entitled "Why the AMA" to give you a more comprehensive look.

[Johnfish]

Jim,

Thanks for posting the excellent list by Mr. Schoelfield. It helps put things in perspective!

John