Very much appreciated Harry, and not taken as sarcasm at all. And the same in this response.
IMHO, there is a communication gap here in addition to differences of opinion. I'd like to at least just get it down to the actual differences in opinion. Let me see if I can put this in terms of the discussion between the PROS (those in favor of the new policy) and the CONS (those opposed). I put it this way ONLY for clarity, not to poke fun at either side.
CONS: What does this do for THE CLUB (as opposed to for individuals)?"
PROS: [List of benefits, for example post #1]
CONS: I was free to join the AMA and get (nearly) all of those benefits before. What justifies me being *required* to be an AMA member to race in the CMRA? There should be benefits that are specific to the club, or that are not obtainable by individuals merely joining on their own to justify the club making this a requirement.
PROS: Joseph Caruso's (well-intentioned) post #84? that lists all the benefits, which are mostly *not* club-specific.
I'm afraid we're just talking past each other. Therefore, I tried to honestly list the
club-specific benefits, and asked for additions if I had missed any. I believe that there is honest disagreement on the value of those benefits and whether they justify the club requirement to join the AMA. But those are just differences of opinion, however strong. Let's at least try to understand each other's position.
I can't speak for all the CONS (and yes I am one), but no matter how excellent those individual benefits are, they in no way justify the club requirement to join. That is a decision I can make for myself. I would think we would all agree on that point, but if not, please let me know because that helps me understand where you're coming from. I understand that the individual benefits may help justify the
cost, but they do not help justify the
requirement.
I have already stated that I personally don't think those club benefits are worth the club requirement to join, but I can understand others feeling differently. I understand that even though in my 19 years in the club, I think I have only personally known one person to race in a single AMA/MA race, there are a significant minority of the club that do pursue that path each year. And there are marketing advantages to the CMRA being a direct pathway to MA racing.
Respectfully,