Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
The young are forming the world how they want it and I'm too old to care.
AMEN!
The young are forming the world how they want it and I'm too old to care.
blw2 said:and in other news.... Looks like the Boy Scouts of America will admit Girls soon.
Same news, different channel
SeilerBird said:I never joined FMCA because I don't like joining groups. It seems like the larger any group becomes the more important the group becomes and the reason for the group becomes less important. Every group ends up with officers, dues, committees and study groups. Then every decision is labeled as "political". I have better things to do than to belong to self serving groups. This RV forum is about the closest I want to get to joining a group.
Gary RV_Wizard said:I think that is a given if it is opened up to the entire RVing community. Whether it would be inferior or superior remains to be determined, but there is a fundamental difference in that FMCA is a non-profit owned by its members while GS is a for-profit business operated for the benefit of its stockholders rather than for RVers.
For FMCA, it boils down to survival. They cannot afford the infrastructure and services they want to provide with the declining membership. If they have to cut services, they lose even more members. They have not been successful attracting younger MH buyers, so hoping to do better with towable owners. Widening the market is bound to help some, but may not be sufficient for the need. If many MH owners don't feel the need for FMCA services & benefits, why will towable owners feel any different? Especially since their demographics are much like the MH owners who do NOT choose FMCA (younger, family-oriented, etc).
FMCA has also suffered a major financial setback with the declining revenue from their excellent magazine. It used to provide a strong revenue stream that was used to fund extra services, but advertising is way down as buyers flock to the internet for info and the manufacturers concentrate their ad budget on interactive media. FMCA's print magazine is probably doomed, just like most other print media.
Since we no longer own an RV or belong to FMCA, our dog isn't in this fight. In my opinion, though, adding towables won't really solve any problem for FMCA. However, it might be good for RVing to have an honest competitor for GS, and RV owners surely could use a voice that speaks for them rather than for improved profits in the RV industry. The latter, however, means that FMCA would have to become much more proactive in RV affairs, a role they have previously shunned.
John From Detroit said:I can give you a very good reason for Joining FMCA. First they now offer a more or less "paperless" membership so you don't have tons of fire lighter to process (Junk mail)
Second.. I just put USED tires on my RV (no help there) but in another year or two I'll drop a brand new set of Michelins in this beast. FMCA has a 'Discount' Program.. The Discount will pay for my membership... FOREVER. And that is just one set of tires.