On Sat, 03 Apr 2004 23:14:49 GMT, "FDR"
wrote:


"Frogleg" wrote

a quarterly newsletter is
distributed to 1,600 households just in advance of general meetings.
At the last meeting, the attendance was 32 people

It does absolutely no good
to take a 'victim' position when there are opportunities to change
things through participation.

So basically you are saying you do all these things to get your voice heard.
Why is it set-up that way anyway? No wonder people don't feel like voting.
Maybe they have lives and don't feel like having to join a fraternity and
getting initiated.

"All these things?!" How difficult is it to come to a 90-minute
meeting every 3 months? Or even once a year, when elections are held?
The purpose of the association is "to provide a means of friendly
association for the citizens of this organization, to preserve and
improve our neighborhood, and to communicate and work with surrounding
neighborhoods for the betterment of the area." If they expend so much
energy in complaining, why not spare a little to complain among a
group that may be able to change things? "To get your voice heard,"all
you have to do is SHOW UP and open your mouth. If, by "all these
things" you mean the Easter Egg Hunt and the bunny costume, this
*isn't* an initiation to a fraternity. It's an Easter Egg Hunt for
kids where one kind person dresses up in the suit so kids can have
their pictures taken on its lap. Neither attendance nor costume is
required. All activities and participation is voluntary. And the ones
that volunteer -- go to meetings, take an interest, bring up a topic
-- set the agenda.

If people "have lives" (and believe me, the board members are all very
busy people and all but one retiree with full-time jobs) and don't
"feel like" voting, then they have little cause to complain they're
being victimized by the decisions of others.