[Cynnabar] A rational approach

[dirk]

The numbers and dates are available for anybody who wants to see them.
The plan calls for a 10 day turn around time from receipt of invoice.
Some details can be found here:
www.sca.org/BOD/announcements/settlementFAQ.doc

I counsel that all groups - not just Cynnabar - do what is required to
meet the timing.  If that forces a group to bypass their normal
processes, so be it. 

The cash raised will either be:
a) not enough: I'd expect corporate to ask for more... sounds
probable... cut a second check if so.
b) just right.  Unlikely but possible.
c) too much: I'd expect corporate to bank the excess, because it sounds
like they're broke.

I prefer to target b):  send the requested amount, rounded up if you
want, but not a lot of extra.  It is blood money.  All opportunities to
"do the right thing" - to emulate the ideals of this hobby - expired
well over a decade ago.  

- dirk


On Tue, 2012-02-07 at 22:26 -0500, Randy Asplund wrote:
> Jawiga was absolutely right, and I commend her for having the guts to
> say it in the face of such a polar reaction.  I hope that other people
> who feel as she does will be willing to speak up so we can at least
> represent both sides of the matter fairly. 
> 
> 
> Here's why she's right:
> 
> 
> 1) The SCA Inc leadership is not stupid. They asked for what they
> need. They thought about it and told us specifically what they want.
> Therefore there is no emergency that requires our immediate payment
> beyond what they asked for and so the emergency policy for a decision
> is not appropriate. It is hard to make a case for there being a need
> to decide right now how much extra to give or who it should be given
> to. As long as the SCA meets the required need, the excess is not time
> critical. 
> 
> 
> 2) The whole point of taking time to decide is so that here is time to
> actually sort it out and get the word with ACCURATE facts to people.
> But what you folks are demanding is that we go on minimal information
> that includes a very poor understanding of the situation since all of
> the facts have not even been produced yet. We may indeed decide later
> that it is a good and right thing to contribute the excess amount to
> someone, but we deserve a chance to figure that out without being
> caught up in a rushed panic and pushed into it. And that is what is
> happening, action without looking squarely at all of the facts.
> 
> 
> 3) There is nothing that says we can't give deeply from our pockets in
> 3 weeks, and the delay won't cause one bit of a problem for the SCA if
> you believe #1 above to be true -that the SCA isn't stupid and has
> asked for what it actually needs.
> 
> 
> 4) The worst excuse I can think of for doing this now is "because
> other groups are doing it now." Geeze, do we want to be rational or do
> we want to join the lemming conga line because our egos need us to
> keep up with the Jones? If the SCA or the Middle Kingdom wants more
> money or needs more money after this weekend it will become known at
> that time., We can still be just as generous in 3 weeks as now, but we
> will be making an informed and thoughtful decision based on facts, not
> what some panicked guessing produced. I would rather be appreciated
> for being wise and generous when it counts than seen as foolish for
> blindly committing to a path I didn't fully understand.
> 
> 
> RanthulfR
> 
> Randy Asplund
> Facebook: "Randy Asplund, Artist"
> www.RandyAsplund.com
> Maker of Medieval books and 
> Illustrator of Science Fiction & Fantasy
> (734) 663-0954
> 2101 S. Circle Dr. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
> 
> 
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