Re: [atlarge-discuss] Membership fees

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@ntlworld.com>]

Totally disagree with implementing membership fees.

If you feel strongly then you should make a voluntary contribution.

A kilogram of rice does not have the same intrinsic value everywhere,
because if I go without rice for a few days, I've still got cereal,
potatoes, vegetables, wine, sweets, desserts, all kinds of extras.

If a truly poor person goes without rice for a few days, he/she goes hungry.

But more importantly, the minute you start charging membership fees, you
start putting people off and turning people away.

To me, that's the problem.

Why can't thousands of people join free? Why does that harm the rest who
choose to volunteer a contribution anyway? The minute this organisation
starts charging membership fees, I will start planning an organisation that
doesn't.

Richard H


----- Original Message -----
From: <bruce@barelyadequate.info>
To: <atlarge-discuss@lists.fitug.de>
Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2003 6:28 AM
Subject: RE: [atlarge-discuss] Membership fees


> This is my general response to this thread:
>
> The subject of Membership Fees has always been devisive, and as the 22
posts
> I just read prove, it still is!  :)
>
> I agree with Danny Younger that we need to have dues of some form.  We
must
> be able to fund the actions of this organization.  But I sympathize with
> Gilbert E. Lumantao's position: given the current economy, my in-laws in
> Thailand would find it hard to pay even the single US dollar Gilbert
noted!
>
> The sliding-scale idea is interesting, but sure to cause arguments between
> those who paid little and those who paid more. None the less, if we were
to
> implement a sliding scale, I would suggest tying it to the cost of
something
> ubiquitous, such as "ten times the average cost of a kilogram of rice in
the
> local economy."  That kilogram of rice has the same intrinsic value
> everywhere as a food staple, but its cost varies widely from country to
> country, equating to about US $20 here in Portland, but much less
elsewhere.
>
> Stephen Waters's idea to set up hardship application process is also
> compelling, but unless we tied it's approval to some kind of evidence as
to
> the member's financial status, it could easily become a very abused
process!
> I can see it now: "Yeah!  I'm disadvantaged!  I only drive a Lexus, nor a
> Porshe.  I deserve hardship consideration!"  And again, a salary level
that
> would be generous in some developing economies is barely a living wage
here,
> so the rules here would have to compensate as well.
>
> I guess, when it comes down to it, I would most favor the combination of
> sliding-scale dues and a hardship process, both implemented with the
> safeguards I noted above.
>
> Bruce Young
> Portland, Oregon, USA
> bruce@barelyadequate.info
> http://www.barelyadequate.info
> --------------------------------------------
> Support democratic control of the Internet!
> Go to http://www.icannatlarge.org and Join ICANN At Large!
>
>
>
> | -----Original Message-----
> | From: Joop Teernstra [mailto:terastra@terabytz.co.nz]
> | Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 4:26 PM
> | To: Stephen Waters; Sotiris Sotiropoulos
> | Cc: gilbert.lumantao@lycos.com; gilbert.lumantao@mailcity.com;
> | DannyYounger@cs.com; atlarge-discuss@lists.fitug.de; James S. Tyre;
> | Richard Henderson
> | Subject: Re: [atlarge-discuss] Membership fees
> |
> |
> | At 09:20 a.m. 5/06/2003, Stephen Waters wrote:
> | >If dues are required, we should have a hardship application
> | process for
> | >those of us in lowly brackets...
> |
> | Yes, that is the best solution; better than country-based fees.
> | We do need membership fees, but especially active participants should
> | always find an open door.
> |
> |
> | -joop-
> |
> |
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>
>
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