February 1st, 2002, 09:12 AM
As many of you know, NLA's liquidity is plummeting due to non-renewal of memberships, spending in the fashion of a drunken sailor (mostly for road shows so the NLA directors can junket around the USA), and the fact that NLA offers no viable service to attract members or otherwise fund its operations. Here's another example of the quiet fiscal desperation of the morons at the NLA headquarters - at least as of January 31 (I'm suspending belief for awhile until Tom Mazza and the Bobit crowd has an opportunity to get their feet on the ground).
On December 17, 2001 we received a letter with an invoice for the renewal of our membership in NLA. The attached invoice indicated a renewal date of January 31, 2002, which, surprisingly, was correct. The letter from Bruce Cottew (the former stalwart executive director of NLA - otherwise called chief lackey) gratuitously offered up the following: "[w]e understand that the events of September 11th have caused a cash flow crisis for many limousine businesses. For that reason, the NLA Board of Directors has extended membership renewal deadlines for 60 days. For those businesses able, we appreciate your prompt payment. If you are unable at this time, we will gladly extend your membership."
Of course, the real reason the memberships were extended is that the drop in NLA membership from non-renewal is so high that the board wanted a fig-leaf (funny, haven't we heard that before) to cover the failure of NLA to retain members - it had nothing to do with 9/11.
In any event, although I was eager to immediately renew our NLA membership because of the great honor it is to be a member (there certainly isn't any other justification), I didn't put it at the top of my list of things to do and as of this morning, I hadn't sent a check.
Today I received another entreaty from Bruce Cottrew with veiled urgency . . . a threat that our NLA membership would terminate (fact is, of course, that by not paying you don't cease to be a member, the membership committee has to recommend that you get thrown out, and the board has to throw you out, and even then, like Carey last year, if you decide to run for NLA director you can pay your dues and reinstate your membership, even if 10 years have passed - but no one at NLA HQ or on the board has a clue what the by-laws say anyhow) if we didn't pay our dues on - what date? - of course, January 31, 2002, not the 60 days later that the Board of Directors is said to have gratuitously granted renewing members in Cottew's first letter.
We weren't seriously affected by 9/11, and I know that NLA is desperate for money, so I stopped long enough today to send my annual donation (there is no consideration, so it must be a gift, right?) to NLA so that the directors can junket around this year, that Barry Lefkovitz can continue to lobby for Dav El and the other companies looking for legislative breaks or favors, the morons at NLA HQ won't end up going back to living in stairwells at the local parking garage, and I will continue to receive that glossy paper LimoScene with the latest and greatest news of the association and the limousine industry.
The more things change, the more thay stay the same. Hey, David, Scott, John, and the rest of youse guys - don't spend our $200 all in one place! Maybe some day we'll get financial information to tell us what they really do do with our money.
Hey, at least I have bitching rights for another year!
James H. Joseph
Pegasus Chauffeured Motor Cars
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
jhj@pegasus-pittsburgh.com
[This message was edited by JHJ on February 01, 2002 at 04:22 PM.]
On December 17, 2001 we received a letter with an invoice for the renewal of our membership in NLA. The attached invoice indicated a renewal date of January 31, 2002, which, surprisingly, was correct. The letter from Bruce Cottew (the former stalwart executive director of NLA - otherwise called chief lackey) gratuitously offered up the following: "[w]e understand that the events of September 11th have caused a cash flow crisis for many limousine businesses. For that reason, the NLA Board of Directors has extended membership renewal deadlines for 60 days. For those businesses able, we appreciate your prompt payment. If you are unable at this time, we will gladly extend your membership."
Of course, the real reason the memberships were extended is that the drop in NLA membership from non-renewal is so high that the board wanted a fig-leaf (funny, haven't we heard that before) to cover the failure of NLA to retain members - it had nothing to do with 9/11.
In any event, although I was eager to immediately renew our NLA membership because of the great honor it is to be a member (there certainly isn't any other justification), I didn't put it at the top of my list of things to do and as of this morning, I hadn't sent a check.
Today I received another entreaty from Bruce Cottrew with veiled urgency . . . a threat that our NLA membership would terminate (fact is, of course, that by not paying you don't cease to be a member, the membership committee has to recommend that you get thrown out, and the board has to throw you out, and even then, like Carey last year, if you decide to run for NLA director you can pay your dues and reinstate your membership, even if 10 years have passed - but no one at NLA HQ or on the board has a clue what the by-laws say anyhow) if we didn't pay our dues on - what date? - of course, January 31, 2002, not the 60 days later that the Board of Directors is said to have gratuitously granted renewing members in Cottew's first letter.
We weren't seriously affected by 9/11, and I know that NLA is desperate for money, so I stopped long enough today to send my annual donation (there is no consideration, so it must be a gift, right?) to NLA so that the directors can junket around this year, that Barry Lefkovitz can continue to lobby for Dav El and the other companies looking for legislative breaks or favors, the morons at NLA HQ won't end up going back to living in stairwells at the local parking garage, and I will continue to receive that glossy paper LimoScene with the latest and greatest news of the association and the limousine industry.
The more things change, the more thay stay the same. Hey, David, Scott, John, and the rest of youse guys - don't spend our $200 all in one place! Maybe some day we'll get financial information to tell us what they really do do with our money.
Hey, at least I have bitching rights for another year!
James H. Joseph
Pegasus Chauffeured Motor Cars
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
jhj@pegasus-pittsburgh.com
[This message was edited by JHJ on February 01, 2002 at 04:22 PM.]