If you are going to throw USRA and rule changes at me, maybe you should look in the mirror, isn't that what you and the BoD just did? The rule of the Good Ole Boys begins (or continues depending on how you look at it).
Jacob,
Let me make it simple for you.
The USRA system for rule changes/addition is that USRA members submit proposals and then once or twice a year the USRA membership votes on those proposals.
The five members of the IRRA™ BoD propose rule changes themselves and also entertain rule changes suggested by racers, then discuss them at great length. After sufficient deliberation (and in some cases, the discussion continues for weeks), a vote is taken and the majority vote determines the question. (As an aside, the vote on the new steel guide tongues was not unanimous; they were board members who did not wish to permit them.)
Just how in the heck can you claim the USRA and IRRA are using the same procedure?
And if you believe that there is more "home-cooking" in IRRA™'s operations as compared to the USRA, then you obviously have never served as a national USRA official. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
As for your insulting Good Ole Boys comment, if you feel there's a organization in slot racing that is working harder, longer, and with more integrity to bring stability and growth to a very fragile leisure time activity, please go play in their sandbox.
Larry, thanks for your info, which seems to contradict Jacob's statement ("I applaud the PO for doing what their racers wanted."). If no vote was taken, then Jacob really can't know "what the racers wanted", can he?
My issue with the PO decision is that it is essentially fragmentation and that approach always brings negative results. There are ways PO could have attempted to work within the system, rather than immediately posting their contrary decision on the tire issue. Should the IRRA™ be thrilled that after years of working to get everyone on the same page, PO decided it wanted its own book?
Rick, you said: "A part is manufactured and the rules are adjusted to embrace said new part."
This is patently false, as no rules have been changed or "adjusted".
You also said, "Secondly, if one makes comments or suggestions or rebuttals, they are labeled a "troublemaker".
Believe it or not, Rick, your input and opinions (as well as those of anyone who comments on a pending question) are valued and are always considered during the deliberations leading up to the vote on any issue. But as members of the IRRA™ BoD, once a question has been voted on and decided, we're done and we move on to the next topic. That's really the only way a Board of Director's management structure can work. The participants simply must respect the process even when it results in decisions that are against their personal feelings.
My personal observation is that you are frequently in a small group who continue to pillory and excoriate the BoD after a decision has been rendered if that decision doesn't match up with your preference (and that is exactly what is occurring here). If the roles were reversed, would you appreciate or welcome being subjected to such treatment on a regular basis?
