[nfbwatlk] FW: ACB National Convention - Democracy in Action

[Lauren Merryfield]

Hi,
Yeah, they've done exactly what they have, for years, constantly accused the 
NFB of doing, only we haven't really done that!  They have, and they will 
reap what they sow, as it is said.
Thanks
Lauren

advice from my cats: "meow when you feel like it."
The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be
understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.
-- Ralph Nichols
Visit us at catliness.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2012 3:56 PM
Subject: [nfbwatlk] FW: ACB National Convention - Democracy in Action


> Read on and be flabbergasted! While it is clear that the person writing 
> the
> message below understands ACB blew it bigtime, it is equally clear that
> going through the motions of democratic procedure seems more important 
> than
> working to solve actual problems of blindness.
>
>
>
> Mike Freeman
>
>
>
>
>
> From: wcb-l-bounces at wcbinfo.org [mailto:wcb-l-bounces at wcbinfo.org] On 
> Behalf
> Of Carl Jarvis
> Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2012 3:28 PM
> To: wcb
> Subject: [Wcb-l] ACB National Convention - Democracy in Action
>
>
>
> Debby and All those interested in the resolution on sub minimum wages.
>
>
>
> Here is a post by Ron Brooks, from Arizona.
>
> Carl Jarvis
>
> ***
>
>
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
>
>
> I'm sitting in our hotel room at the Galt House Hotel in
> Louisville, about
> half packed and taking a break to check email, Twitter, Facebook
> and all the
> rest, and it's a perfect time to reflect on what was a great
> convention for
> a number of reasons.
>
>
>
> Although I loved the city, the tours, the YAC for the kids,
> spending time
> with Lisa, reconnecting with friends, blowing money in Exhibits
> and all the
> rest, what really stuck with me was the ACB's commitment to
> democratic
> principles.  Throughout the course of the affiliate meetings and
> business
> meeting, there were a number of opportunities to witness
> democracy in
> action, including a number of hotly debated Constitutional
> amendments,
> resolutions and elections, the newly implemented secret balloting
> process
> and the decision-making one of the affiliates with whom I'm
> involved used to
> decide how to cast votes in the upcoming elections.
>
>
>
> Personally, I was generally proud of our leaders and membership,
> and
> although I did not agree with every vote, the intention to follow
> truly
> democratic procedures was much in evidence.
>
>
>
> Nevertheless, I did see one example where I think our commitment
> to
> democratic principles fell short, and I worry about the potential
> fall-out.
>
>
>
> A resolution was brought before the body which would have
> committed the ACB
> to taking a stand against the practice of paying sub-minimum
> wages to some
> people with disabilities, and rather than allowing an open
> discussion of the
> resolution, it was basically killed due to a lack of a motion
> from the
> Resolutions Committee.  To be fair, the Resolutions Committee
> Chairperson
> reported that the committee could not reach the resolution's
> author to
> discuss it, thus the committee refused to recommend a "do pass"
> which would
> have allowed a floor debate.  In addition, any ACB member
> (including me)
> could have made a motion for the membership to adopt the
> resolution, and no
> one (including me) chose to do that in the time allotted.
>
>
>
> Nevertheless, I can't help but think that the real failure was
> systemic.  In
> the first place, the resolution's author is from my home state of
> Arizona,
> and he told me separately that no messages were ever left, so he
> did not
> know he was contacted by the committee.  Second, the committee
> could have
> elected to table the resolution or to recommend a referral to
> another
> committee for study-as they did with another resolution on a
> different and
> equally difficult topic.  In addition, when this resolution was
> read, it
> seemed to me that it's disposal was rushed which made it harder
> for the
> membership to realize that we needed a motion to get it to the
> floor for an
> honest debate.
>
>
>
> I realize that there is a lot of strong opinion on both sides of
> this issue
> and that most of us have very little and perhaps incomplete
> and/or
> innacurate information regarding what is being called the "fair
> wages"
> resolution.  Nevertheless, the mere fact that people have strong
> feelings
> about this issue necessitates a full and open discussion.
> Furthermore, the
> ACB is being hammered in the Twittersphere because of our failure
> to take
> the issue on, and since we did not take it on, we look pretty
> bad, and
> although this may not be fair, perception is everything when it
> comes to our
> members and more importantly, those people who are thinking about
> whether or
> not to make ACB their organization of choice.
>
>
>
> I know that our leaders understand the potential impact that an
> emotional
> issue like minimum wages for all PWD's can have on our members
> and on our
> organization, but I'm not sure they realize how rapidly and
> quickly these
> perceptions can evolve due to social media.  This fact (whether
> we like it or
> not) necessitates us to really think hard before we try to defer
> a
> discussion on an issue that we don't want to take on, and it
> necessitates us
> to think about a whole new range of potential impacts for every
> action we
> take or fail to take.
>
>
>
> So far today, I've read perhaps 200 tweets on our debate (or lack
> thereof)
> on the minimum wage issue, and if you wish, you can actually
> listen to an
> audio clip of the meeting where this debate did not take place.
> I predict
> that this rapid circulation of what happened at our business
> meeting
> yesterday will prompt this issue to come up in a multitude of
> state and
> special interest affiliates, and I can virtually guarantee that
> it will be
> back before the Resolutions Committee in 2013.  I can only hope
> that when it
> does, we're more ready to engage in a real and meaningful
> discussion.  After
> all, that will be much more in keeping with the democratic
> organization I
> truly believe we are, which is why I'm proud to be a part.
>
>
>
> Rather than closing on this less than positive note, I want to
> say that
> everyone, and including those who are upset about the handling of
> the
> minimum wage issue, should stop to recognize all of those things
> that were
> accomplished in terms of democratic process.  I loved arguing
> about the name
> of our newsletter, the campaigning, the secret voting and all the
> rest.  All
> of these things served to deepen my appreciation for who we are
> and what we
> stand for, and even though we may not always do things quite how
> I think we
> should, I know we'll get to the right answers eventually, and
> hopefully by
> then, I too will have a better grasp on where I personally stand
> on those
> same issues.
>
>
>
> Ron Brooks
>
> Phoenix, AZ
>
>


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