Hi Andy,
I, for one, enjoy this kind of discussion.A lot of what you say is said
here in Minnesota about state government, some some make the same
statements regarding the federal government as well.  I feel that a big
problem that faces us as Americans is that we seems to take the attitude
that if something doesn't work, don't try to fix it, rather throw it
out.  Maybe this comes from our collective experience with cheap
electronics that, when they fail, aren't worth fixing, I don't know.  If
the Democrats are doing what we generally feel is what we want done but
are not doing it effectively, we don't try to adjust things, we throw
them out and elect republicans.  When republicans cut too much and we
feel our services are not what we'd like as Americans, we don't adjust
things, we throw out the Rebublicans and re-elect those whom we threw
out in the first place.  I am not saying that is exactly what you said,
but I think there is a tendency for people to either support the status
quo or to want revolution.  It is probably not just an American problem,
but I see the same thing in the private sector here.  "We should decentralize
our computer systems," for example, then a few years later, "our systems
are two decentralized."
I think many of us, hopefully the majority, have contributed in building
an organization that is centralized so that we can try to have a
somewhat consistent approach to the problems that face blind people
across the country.  I know that feeling came largely from the need to
present a unified front when dealing with agencies, but it is still
desireable.  National strength or states rights are part of the American
experience.  Term limits, in the Federation or in government, are simply
putting a bandage on a cut to stop the bleeding without considering how
one was cut in the first place.  Term limits prevent good leaders from
leading even more, in my opinion, than the lack of limits protects bad
leaders.  You can't keep a good leader who has filled out his or her
terms, but you can dump a bad leader even though it can be difficult.I
think term limits are just a way for people to think they are solving
problems without ever really trying to figure out what the problems
really are.That is a strong statement, and I don't mean by that to
question your sincerity.
I don't know who mentioned it on this list, but it was stated that two
terms are good enough for the president of the United States.  What I
found interesting about that statement is that it was not mentioned that
we did not adopt such a policy until our country was over one hundred
and fifty years old, a long time in our history.  It took that much time 
before
one president was ever elected to more than two terms, so it was not
exacly a major problem.  In fact, I would maintain it was an extreme
solution to a rather minor problem.  So I don't see any great lesson to
be learned from it.
On the other hand, training of new leaders is very important.  I believe
we have many capable leaders waiting to step in, though, so we probably
just don't agree on the size of that problem.  How we utilize our
leaders when Dr. Jernigan is no longer an active leader will be one of
our greatest challenges, though.  Talking about some of these things in
a reasonable manner is the best way to assure that we make the right
decisions as an organization.  However, it is very easy on these
discussion lists to concentrate so on specifics that we loose an overall
perspective.  We can tear each other apart until nobody can accomplish
anything, or we can acknowledge that we are not perfect but that we need
to move ahead.  You mention revolution.  There are similarities between
governments and consumer groups as you say, but there are differences as
well.  If any leadership does not cultivate the support of its members
in a consumer group, it will find that its membership, its constituency,
will shrink.  For that reason, no leadership can ignore or dominate its
members as some on this list would imply.  We vote for our leaders in
two ways.  We vote for specific leaders through the election process and
we vote for our leaders in general by remaining a member.  If you are
indeed correct in your statements, we will simply loose members until we
make adjustments.  That's life.
Steve Jacobson
 -=> Quoting Andy Baracco to All <=-
 AB> From: Andy Baracco 
 AB> Subject: Change isn't Bad
 AB> Hi Denise. Thank you for giving me a mission. Those who know me
 AB> best, know that the way to put a fire under me, is to give me a
 AB> mission. It is a  shame that the N. F. B. operates in such a way
 AB> that real change cannot occur without the consent of the Board. It
 AB> is also a shame that you cannot understand that  periodic changes
 AB> in leadership are beneficial to the organization in the long run.
 AB> The N. F. B. prides itself on growing great leaders. However, it
 AB> rewards them by building a glass ceiling that traps them at levels
 AB> well below their potential. What a waste! Periodic changes in
 AB> leadership would give them the opportunity to really show off the
 AB> full range of their talents, rather than spending their lives
 AB> selling candy, or taking minutes at chapter meetings. Also,
 AB> periodic changes in leadership gives the power to the organization,
 AB> rather than to just those at the top. It makes the organization
 AB> stronger than the sum of its parts. If something unforeseen happens
 AB> to the President, such as a major illness, car crash, etc., the
 AB> organization goes on. When most of the power is concentrated in the
 AB> hands of a charismatic leader, and something happens to him or her,
 AB> a great unsettling can occur which can do damage to the
 AB> organization as a whole. In countries, such unsettling is called a
 AB> revolution. I feel strongly that if the Federation does not change
 AB> elements of its structure, such as how it chooses its leaders, such
 AB> unsettling will happen upon the death of Kenneth Jernigan, unless
 AB> he has made succession plans that we know nothing about.
 AB> Andy Baracco
 AB> -!-
 AB>  ! Origin: NFBnet  Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045)
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