September 1 2020

2020 NCS: Passing Proposals 2 through 4 Opens Pandora’s Box

National Governance, Opinions    No Comments    , , , , , ,

If your National Delegates haven’t started meeting with you yet, THEY NEED TO WAKE UP.   I know everybody is preoccupied with COVID and school starting, and maybe some National Delegates are still disappointed that they didn’t get a trip to Orlando.  But a commitment was made to be a National Delegate, in-person or virtual.  We are now into September.

IT IS TIME TO GO TO WORK.

EVERYBODY, whether you’re a National Delegate or not, needs to be aware of the FULL implications of these membership dues proposals set for the 2020 National Council Session.  Please read through them if you aren’t up to speed on the specifics:

I’m going to cut to the chase.  There is a FAQ about membership dues in the National Delegate website, and here’s what the GSUSA & the National Board claim in it:

  • If Proposal 2 doesn’t pass as written, the National Board and GSUSA will not recognize it as a statement that the National Council doesn’t want them to have authority. Proposals 3 & 4 will still come up for a vote.  Unless somehow the National Council can override that.
  • If Proposals 2 and 4 don’t pass, but Proposal 3 does, they will claim authority.
  • If Proposals 2 and 3 don’t pass, but Proposal 4 does, they will claim authority.  They will not have to gather input or send out a report.
  • If Proposal 2 doesn’t pass and neither do 3 or 4, THEY WILL STILL CLAIM AUTHORITY.  They will not have to gather input or send out a report.
  • Proposal 6 (Lifetime Membership Discount) passing has NO bearing on authority.

So basically, the National Board & GSUSA want to have their cake and eat it too. The ONLY way they will concede authority is if Proposal 2 is amended to specifically state that ONLY the National Council has authority.   They do not acknowledge the Farthest North ruling wherein the National Council was legally recognized as having sole authority over membership dues and have yet again dug their heels in even deeper.

NOTE: THERE WILL BE AN ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THE ORDER OF THE AGENDA SO THAT PROPOSALS 3 AND/OR 4 ARE VOTED ON FIRST.  If they pass, then Proposal 2 NOT passing will not “override” them.

WARNING:  MORE LAWSUITS MAY COME IF NOTHING IS DONE WITH ANY OF THE PROPOSALS.

What is to come?

I would like to point something else out that I don’t think people fully realize because everybody is concentrating on how these proposals affect the amount of annual membership dues.  But here are some other changes that the National Board and GSUSA can make if Proposals 2, 3, and/or 4 are passed as written:

  • Create brand new levels of dues (like the extended 18 month level)
  • Charge a different amount for certain levels (Daisies pay more, National Board members and staff pay less, etc.)
  • Charge a new member fee on top of current dues ala BSA’s $25 fee implemented this year
  • Raise lifetime membership dues amounts
  • Nix the lifetime membership discount altogether if Proposal 6 passes. They don’t support it anyway.  Update 9/5/20:  They now support it.
  • Void ANYTHING the National Council votes for regarding membership dues even if it’s forced onto a NCS agenda

Regardless of what the National Board & GSUSA claim about working “together” with the National Council, SHARED AUTHORITY DOES NOT WORK. I repeat: SHARED AUTHORITY DOES NOT WORK AND WILL WORSEN OUR ONGOING POWER STRUGGLE.

On another note, there is also concern about the integrity of this virtual National Council Session and if everything will be on the up & up. If it’s not, MORE LAWSUITS WILL COME IF THINGS ARE NOT DONE ON THE UP AND UP.  REPEAT:  LAWSUITS WILL BE FILED IF THE NCS IS NOT RUN AS IT SHOULD – FAIRLY AND FULLY.

This blog has a limited reach. It has to go out via grassroots if it’s going to go anywhere. Thank you for reading and considering my message.

My other thoughts on these proposals are here:

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