After reading the above I've decided Rick isn't "too cheap"...just "smarter than me"...
I found Veley's post extremely disappointing for several reasons, one being I just joined the PCA at a time when dysfunction and unrest seem rampant. Also I have a great deal of respect for David I. , not only does he fund this forum himself but more so I've always been impressed with his willingness to share his knowledge and help to grow the hobby, so I find it rather poor form to toss unsubstantiated accusations into a forum such as this.
I also find it difficult to understand why a new editor of a low key, specific interest publication would bother to rubbish the past editor for no apparent reason in such a public fashion. I was also under the impression both David and Paul where regular contributors to Penant , pissing off well respected contributors is not a good idea.
Causing dissension is rarely a good move. Many years ago I was actively involved in a small cattle breed society that was struggling to gain market access (mainly caused by little idea of being progressive/infighting) and over a period of 10 years I drove changes in it to make it up to date in outlook (simply looking at what the successful breeds do and copy it...) , to ensure financial stability and long term viability (renegotiated one supply agreement that saved $23,000 over 3 yrs). All sounds so simple...but ignorance and stupidity came to the front.....with a decision that would have financially ruined it, I had to put my head on the chopping block to reverse it ( I was VP) and a number of members left to form a now defunct alternative society. Two years later I was asked to run the finances (which I ran at a surplus every year btw) and review the constitution but in the end left when I wrote two articles for their magazine that weren't published and I was told there where "no articles from your state sent in". Incidentally we where putting $2,500 into their coffers every year, and the year after I stopped overseeing their finances they lost $7,500 (out of a budget of 70 odd thousand) and have gone from having an EO promoting and running the Society to being run out of someones kitchen. CAUSING open dissension among members is a recipe for ongoing trouble, membership loss, loss of focus and an inability to move forward positively, doing so privately isn't good either. Exactly what happened above will happen to the PCA if it allows personal feelings/egos to dominate over logic.
Being grateful to others for there previous work would be a positive way forward. I fail completely to understand why Veley would write something so damaging to the PCA and post it in a public forum.
Regards
Hugh