[PAO] National Board

[Alice Mansell]

Jaime, Thanks for working to improve things for us who will not be there!

I've been a member of CAP since 1987 and gone to a bunch of national
conferences since 1998.  Didn't go to one until I had a very specific
reason to interact with particular people on ES and legal issues I cared
about deeply.  Here are some random thoughts:

- If you want to make an impact on national level, the conventions are
almost mandatory, especially for issues which may take years to resolve. It
can be very fun to spend time with fellow members working on things you
care about together.
- Many go just to tick a box for promotion, silently come and silently
leave, while it seems more than half or more who go are the same people
with the same ideas and agendas.
- A very high percentage who go wear AF style uniforms covered with ribbons
but way out of "weight and balance" the entire conference, sadly, including
many National and wing command staffs. Former and current military
attendees glower all over the venue.
- The most active local volunteers who do the most work in the the field
virtually never take the time and money to go to national conventions
unless they can sleep at home or carpool and share hotel rooms with fellow
unit members. Most of them go just once and leave disgusted declining to
wade in to fix national issues.

- We are most often stuck in a rut of Only Big or Hub Airport Venues.  Why
not a smaller airport town in a new location with killer hotel rates? Do
smaller airport venues always prove a bust? Vegas airfares are attractive,
but hotel rates over $100 are surprising.
- There are some odd written and unwritten rules about who can fly in CAP
aircraft from out of state to a convention.  I've never seen CAP try to
organize an all-come fly-in with member-provided aircraft with or without
help from cheaper military field AvGas and overnight costs. More often than
not, most CAP national leadership I've seen wants USAF to disappear down a
dark hole instead of building mutually beneficial relationships with each
other.

- The ES, AE and Cadet silos have amazingly thick walls and the conventions
have very few activities to break those walls. Maybe it will take an
Oshkosh-style airlift to punch holes in those walls?
- Nickel and diming members for courses which can be held during the
conference must be included in the registration fee to encourage and enable
more members to come.
- My local wing members have been offered free registration at somewhat
short notice to get enough CAP vehicles and drivers there to "ferry VIPs"
and do other "volunteer" jobs.  That offer raises disturbing thoughts...

Regards to all,
Alice

Alice Mansell, LtCol, CAP
California


On Sunday, July 20, 2014, <jaimielhenson at fuse.net> wrote:
> I agree with everything being said on this thread; however, we probably
need to talk about it in a more formal way so those making the decision on
where to hold Nationals is hearing from the rank and file. I am privileged
to get to go to Nationals this year, and will look for an opportunity to
address this with the powers that be.
>
> Look for a follow up sometime after Nationals...
>
> Jaimie Henson, Maj.
> Kentucky
>
> ________________________________
> From: "DAVID MOSELEY" <kd4ios at embarqmail.com>
> To: "CAP Public Affairs Officers" <cap-pao at lists.sempervigilans.org>
> Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 1:57:51 PM
> Subject: Re: [PAO] National Board
>
> Sadly, this is an example of why people say sarcastically that CAP=Come
And Pay.
>
>
>
> The comments about approaching retirement are true.  I've been retired
since 1999 and can't afford to go to the National Boards, or rather, I
choose not to spend my resources on something so expensive.
>
>
>
> My father, a CAP member for years said once when the subject of  the
increasing costs of belonging, "The day I pay that kind of money, there
will be a band on  Cloud Nine, playing, "Who In The H**** Would Have
Thought It!"
>
>
>
> Looking at the number of our fellow blue suiters who have left our ranks
should cause some serious discussions about the costs to members.  We now
have less than half the members we had years ago.  Before some gets their
panties in a wad because I'm not exactly correct, in the last 59 years that
I've been a member, I've seen the numbers drop, and the sad thing is that
there is no way to do an exit interview as most members who leave just fold
their tent and never tell anybody.  They just don't renew, don't come to
meetings, etc.
>
>
>
> That puts the decision makers in a quandary.
>
>
>
> Realizing how many people are gone should tell us that something is
seriously wrong.
>
>
>
> The problem is above my pay grade.
>
>
>
> The Lt. said he didn't want to appear to be complaining, but maybe that
is exactly what is needed.
>
>
>
> FWIW.
>
>
>
> David Moseley, Lt Colonel, CAP
>
> Commander Emeritus, Lake Composite Squadron,
>
> Leesburg, FL
>
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