[bars] I'm annoyed with this election stuff

[Geoffrey Feldman]

It's a competitive campaign, which I understand has not happened in decades,
specifically not in your 15 years.  Compared to, for example, running for
city council in Lowell this one is not expensive.  The major cost is
mailing, which in this case is not bulk but first class.  The lit costs less
than the stamps.

 

Do you know of anyone ever who has been on the ARRL board who is
impoverished?   It is the board of directors for a nation-wide non-profit
which also lobbies congress.  Do you know of anyone who could oversee that,
has the necessary skills and is a ham, yet "not rich"?   How are they not
rich yet having all those skills?  That would be VERY suspicious.

 

All 3 are very well qualified and have made significant contributions to Ham
Radio, albeit in one case, a relatively short period.  Despite that, his VE
sessions are organized, well presented. His training sessions are excellent
despite your words to the contrary.   All three have experience outside Ham
Radio which very particularly suits them to being on a board of directors.

 

Where does the list come from? This is an election.  In this case the ARRL
provides them to the candidates. In terms of actual government elections,
same answer. The mailing address of every single registered voter in a town
is available for the asking. True fact and something I have used on behalf
of candidates.  Both political parties gather them all up from every single
town in the country and form them into a database which candidates can and
do use.  To save money, the list is culled to be the biggest "bang for the
buck".  Those database contain every single election a voter has attended
for up to a quarter of a century as well  as other useful (but public) data.

 

Write in votes are NEVER counted, in any election ever, unless there is
enough of them to change the result.  Even then there would need to be a
serious number of write-ins for the same person.  Might as well save the
cost of the stamp and not mail it in.   The only reason not to choose is an
inability to look at these very well qualified persons and actually think it
through.  It ultimately depends on which skill  set of the three you believe
really matters for your personal vision of the leagues future.

 

I'll just chuck this in for fun, Gary.  Your concern with wealth is  quite
socialist of you.  Very substantively so.  I find that a bit confusing but
amusing.  This is democracy if you don't like it, that's more to the Soviet
side of socialist thinking actually.  Capitalism involves success by
demonstrated ability measured by wealth or support by the wealthy.  

 

Hope you all have enjoyed this response to the concerns.

 

Geoff 

W1GCF

 

From: bars [mailto:bars-bounces at w1hh.org] On Behalf Of
gary at garyfrascarelli.com
Sent: Saturday, October 2, 2021 12:33 PM
To: 'BARS Reflector'
Subject: [bars] I'm annoyed with this election stuff

 

Am I the only one who is annoyed about the "advertising" and "manipulating"
certain people are doing to try and become "New England Director" of the
ARRL?

 

In my 15 years as a ham I do not remember the slick full color advertising
campaigns being mailed to me by various candidates or the polished video
presentations.

 

This, to me, just perpetuates the impression that "Ham Radio is for Rich
People" who can afford to have tower companies install towers to rival
broadcast stations, have special additions made to their homes to house
their "studios" and now to mount all out "advertising campaigns".      To
what end - ???      What kind of power or wealth do they expect from the
positions?  Or is it just "I'm rich and I have ego so vote for me"  !?!

 

I have spoken privately to some other hams who agree with these sentiments,
so I think it is time for all of us to pause and reflect.    Do we really
want the guy who can afford the fanciest campaign, or do we want "real
people" who aren't trying to show off.

 

Fred K and Tom F - I will NOT be voting for either one of you.  I will do a
write-in candidate if I have to.   I hope others will do the same.

 

I am also wondering where at least one of the candidates got the e-mail
address list from - hmmmmmm!

 

Gary Frascarelli, W1GFF

www.garyfrascarelli.com

 

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