[QUOTE=john;171647]I never said I was unwilling to start an association… I said I was unwilling to involve congress or lobbyists or endorse any type of letter writing campaign or anything not fully thought out. I’m also unwilling to battle any of the powerful entities head on. The association we are working on will be exclusive (but not limited to Americans), highly private, limited in size and effective… most importantly it is the product of four years of research, tens of thousands in expense and a ton of deep thought.[/QUOTE]
I’m curious as to what that organization is going to attempt to do and how. What will the benefits be in return for the expensive membership?
Now I yield the floor to c.captain for word on his plans…
[QUOTE=Capt. Phoenix;171692]Now I yield the floor to c.captain for word on his plans…[/QUOTE]
I am going to wait for John to come forth and enlighten us on his grand vision, but will only say that unless it has an element that includes lobbying for the benefit of the American mariner in the hall of Congress or at USCG HQ, I do not believe it will be the association we so desperately need at this time.
If it includes advice on retirement planning, John will lose my support but I believe he already knows that.
The fact that their “Professional Mariner’s Association”, aside from the fluff benefits like “port directory” and “job board”, (all available for free via Google), seems to be focused primarily on “retirement planning advice and services” continues to amaze and enrage me…
The association I envision will look at problems objectively and serve primarily to empower the membership to reach their individual and group objectives. It will not lobby anyone directly but could assist YOU in launching a lobbying effort and provide access to the highest levels of influence.
The new association will not take direct action on any specific initiatives (so there will be nothing lawyers could attack) and will not publicly disclose its efforts (NDA’s will be signed by all members).
We would like to publish specific details but privacy is a keystone to this concept so there must be a level secrecy involved. That said, if you are passionate about this idea and want to learn more you can call me directly to discuss.
[QUOTE=PaddyWest2012;171811]Sounds good John, I’d just like to hear more about the secrecy aspect. I’m not knocking it, I just don’t understand it. Why is the secrecy necessary?[/QUOTE]
In the short term the reason for secrecy is we have invested 4 years and tens of thousands of dollars researching this idea and it’s unconventional (at least to this industry… it’s been well tested in other industries). There are also a few parts that still need to be moved into place. Lots of people will have ideas on how to implement this but we do not need more ideas… what we need most is simplicity and execution. Once the ship has departed new ideas may be implemented and existing one changed… but first we need to get underway.
In short… short term secrecy allows us to focus on execution.
Once executed the general outline and purpose of the group will be made public but what happens inside the group will remain secret (each member will sign an NDA). This is to protect the privacy of our members and provide for a safe environment in which we can freely discuss controversial ideas.
The association I envision will look at problems objectively and serve primarily to empower the membership to reach their individual and group objectives. It will not lobby anyone directly but could assist YOU in launching a lobbying effort and provide access to the highest levels of influence.
The new association will not take direct action on any specific initiatives (so there will be nothing lawyers could attack) and will not publicly disclose its efforts (NDA’s will be signed by all members).
We would like to publish specific details but privacy is a keystone to this concept so there must be a level secrecy involved. That said, if you are passionate about this idea and want to learn more you can call me directly to discuss.[/QUOTE]
I must say that I feel somewhat conflicted here as on the surface, the association by propose appears to not include the public group advocacy and representation which I believe is what we as a communal professional group do not presently have and which I believe is desperately needed however I know you to be a man of considerable intellect and abilities so I do not want to say anything which is not supportive of your efforts. Any group organization is better than what we have now and as you say, the voyage can be replotted once the ship gets underway.
I look forward to the day when you make your formal announcement.
[QUOTE=c.captain;171817]I must say that I feel somewhat conflicted here as on the surface, the association by propose appears to not include the public group advocacy and representation which I believe is what we as a communal professional group do not presently have and which I believe is desperately needed however I know you to be a man of considerable intellect and abilities so I do not want to say anything which is not supportive of your efforts. Any group organization is better than what we have now and as you say, the voyage can be replotted once the ship gets underway.
I look forward to the day when you make your formal announcement.[/QUOTE]
Just to be clear the association we are working on [I][U]does not[/U][/I] include the public group advocacy and representation… but it will help those who want to be public advocates (or want to start an advocacy group) achieve their objectives.
[QUOTE=john;171822]Just to be clear the association we are working on [I][U]does not[/U][/I] include the public group advocacy and representation.[/QUOTE]
Amen! 99% of lobbyists are a useless. The 1% of lobbyists with talent are grossly expensive and are great at lobbying BOTH congress and the clients. We need action, not tails wagging our dog.