Re: Getting to the people with the power

[jlong@mti.net (Joe Long)]

On Wed, 2 Dec 1998 15:46:36 EST, Beverly540@aol.com wrote:

>>So, why do you want others to pay more so that you don't have to pay
>>as much?  Do you *really* think that's right?
>          I disagree with your logic, Joe. The way I see it, AERC members are
>already paying more in order to support the organization that supports the
>sport, not the other way around as you state.Without AERC would there even
>*BE* any rides for non-members to go to?

Actually, it's the other way around.  There were rides before the AERC
ever existed; if the AERC closed shop tomorrow there would still be
rides.  But there would be no rides without ride managers.  And it is
the ride managers (at least of the smaller rides) who are most hurt by
this new fee structure.
 
>             My husband and I  are only just beginning in this sport
>ourselves, but we happily paid the non-member fee before we joined AERC a few
>months ago. We didn't even question the non-member fee--it only seemed  right
>to pay it.

And there are some who share your opinion.  However, beyond the issue
of fairness, is the issue of practicality.  Most 50 mile riders are
members anyway, but the same is not true of the LD riders and
especially "fun" riders. I think a reasonable compromise might have
been to have scaled the fee according to the category of ride -- ten
bucks for the endurance rides and five for the LD rides (and still
zero for the "fun" rides which are not recorded at all by AERC).  I
think there would have been a lot less hard feeling.

-- 

Joe Long
jlong@mti.net
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