General board meeting news - Page 6

Just talking about the sport side. Nothing personal but this is all came about as a pissing contest between the GSD organizations and now everyone has been drawn into it.

Those same local trial opportunities will still be there as long as someone shows a membership card from an AWDF member club. I have no doubts the number of under the table members in local USA clubs will increase as more and more say screw the JA and the huge dues increase that was just passed. If the clubs don't in a short time a good chunk will no longer have the funds to operate. If I drop my family membership tomorrow the same number of opportunities to trial will still be there. The only two things I will lose is a magazine and my ability to work a USA trial neither of which justify me paying a 150.00 a year.


Keith Jenkins

Keith:

          Thats your choice and your welcome to it b y all means. Every thing is more expensive, if you want the organization to supply you with a Cadillac you can,t make pinto payments. I don,t see the dues increase as a major issue since when you look at everything out there not one thing is the same or cheaper. Hobby,living,Entertainment it,s all more expensive. It,s a choose everyone will have to make for them self's. 

What will USA be providing other than what people get now? Will we be receiving secret gifts?  

Keith:

              Just like Gas,Groceries, school books,tennis shoes,Movie tickets, Disney world tickets every thing is more expensive even if it,s just the status quo it,s more expensive. any advancement or improvement will cost even more. 

Actually Keith, the DVG club that I joined a couple years ago (just to show support to DVG), charges $100. annual dues for membership (for those who don't know, DVG does not offer individual memberships anymore, you must belong to a DVG club).   Also, correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't only one person in the whole  DVG America organization get a vote on anything having to do with board or membership issues?   I'm not complaining, I knew the rules when I got into it, just like I knew the USA rules about who gets to vote when I joined that organization.  I don't train with my DVG club because I train with a private group, and I don't trial at DVG trials because there are very few of them in my area.  Like I said, I joined to support the organization. 

 

Bob would you stop making excuses for usca and the rape of the membership! Usca is a not for profit  and what expenses do they have? A 65% rate increase is  un acceptable! Did they not make a proffitt last year? the addition of a profitable year would  discourage a rate increase!

I'm not sure where I said the dues were unreasonable or that some increase based on cost-of-living isn't warranted but the fact still remains that if fewer people are paying the bills, each will have to pay a larger share.

Bob, you're still driving the same car...just paying more for it.

You didn't, but you did say that belonging to any AWDF club would afford the same opportunities,  for me, the only alternative would be DVG, and while I do support the organization, it's not any less expensive, and has way less opportunities for me trial and training wise, and the USA magazine is better.  So the only issue with USA for me is the JA, and that's just not a big enough deal to make me quit.

For those who think the dues increase is unfair and/or feel the JA is a big enough deal to make them quit, then that's what they should do.  At the same time, some of you need to get over the fact that  whether you agree or not, some will choose to stay with the organization.  To get emotional about it and argue about it is pointless, no one is going to change anyone's mind at this point. 

Membership dues vary some between KGs. Mine is like 80-90 a year.  For me this isn't about who gets to vote it's about belonging to an organization that will dictate what other organizations I may belong to and in the process figured out a way to increase dues by 67% in the process.

No one finds it the least bit odd that less than a year after the JA amendment was passed that there is a sudden urgency to increase dues? 

Not being paranoid but the USA is slowly but surely driving the alternate breed people to consider looking elsewhere, either by design or accident.

While things have gone up over the years some things are actually cheaper such as electronics. Other than maybe commodities that are directly tied to outside influences on a daily basis nothing spikes 67% overnight.


Keith Jenkins

Just so the facts are straight, here's what led to the membership dues increase. USA hasn't raised dues since 1996. Membership is not down significantly from last year. Last year USA got big bucks from the WUSV for hosting the world championship and sponsorship money, neither of which they're getting anymore. They're also planning big improvements to the USA website, which won't come cheap.

Not taking sides here, just putting the info out there.