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Now I really couldn't give a whit about stars or post counts but something else came up here which does get to me. I saw some attitudes about our younger members. Fortunately, most posters here came out in support of our younger folks. I wish it was laways that way. Please bear with me this story might be a little long. Many, many years ago a list showed up at the hobby shop where I got started in Model trains. A list to start a new club. I was one of the first to sign that list. Still in high school, never built a layout, but I wanted to get involved. Well, we finally held the organizational meetings which led to creating a club which is still in existence today and in fact has had a lot of influence in this hobby. But along the way the meetings were taken over by some guys with major incomes who wanted a big fancy club fast. And that needed money. So they set a dues schedule they could meet but was going to be hard for an average Joe and even worse for a high shool kid. And the result was that I was being asked to give a higher percentage of my income to the club with no say in how it was to run. Not even a guaranteed forum to speak up if the big bucks guys didn't want me to. So I walked away. And I haven't joined any model railroading organization since. Probably never will. Almost walked away from the hobby, but it got it's teeth into me anyway. Now the point of this is that we sometimes forget what efforts are being put into our hobby by those of few years or few hours or few bucks. People who have a lot to contribute but somehow get told they don't count. Now, I saw just a hint that some of that may still exist. Just a hint, mind you, but enought to dredge up some painful memories. I don't want to see the next potential John Allen or Linn Westcott chased away because someone made them think they weren't valued. Just give this a thought for a moment and think about why the NMRA is facing the membership problems it is or why this hobby isn't any bigger than it is. Just compare the per capita participation now with what it was when MR and the NMRA started. Sorry to go on so long but a nerve got touched.
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