[quote="Harry Payne"]Sam, You ask in another thread, or stated you could not understand my strong disagreement with you and your methods. This is a prime example.
Without the confusion and cost, of yours and Susan's lawsuits. The shenanigans of Paul Troung. And the misinformation campaign of anti-USCF proponents.
The USCF would be in very good shape financially, the Executive Board, Staff, and members would be considering, how to correct other problems and how to promote the Game of Chess and it's Players of all ages. Until the pettiness of a handful, who think themselves to be more important than they are, is stopped, and brought to an end. The USCF is destined to continue down the path of self destruction because of that handfuls actions.
That is what needs to be recognized as the truth of the matter. I as just one member, who is totally sick of a few egotists ruining it for so many that love the game, wish the USCF would just kick that crowd to the curb.
Take away their memberships, and not allow them association with any USCF event. Which by the way, is perfectly within the USCF's right to do so. I for one cannot understand why the USCF puts up with it. Just my take on it[/quote]
Harry, with all due respect, you just joined the USCF for the first time about three years ago. You seem to be suggesting that all the problems that the USCF faces are because of me. You even suggest that I should be kicked out of the USCF. You are stating that, if only I and a few other miscreants would go away or be kicked out, "The USCF would be in very good shape financially, the Executive Board, Staff, and members would be considering, how to correct other problems and how to promote the Game of Chess and it's Players of all ages", and everything would be just hunky dory.
If you would read a little more and write a little less you would find out that these problems go back a long time. These are not new developments. I first joined the USCF in 1956. Like most other members, I stayed out of chess politics and did not even bother to keep track of the elections for the first 40 years until 1996. It was then that I realized that there were serious problems and I started to get involved.
The problems I thought we had then are trivial compared to what we have now. Actually, the year 1996 when things seemed bad was actually the peak in terms of memberships, revenues and sales. We were profitable up until then. It was then that the downward slide began.
You will note that Bill Goichberg's candidates statement says, "with record profits in fiscal 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 after seven consecutive years of losses.” Do a little math. Seven years before
2003 was 1996. That was the last profitable year. That was also the year when Bill Goichberg was first elected Vice-President of the USCF. Goichberg was Vice-president from 1996 to 1999 and now has been President from 2005 until now. In every one of the seven years that Goichberg has been on the board, the USCF has suffered huge losses, whereas all the years leading up to 1996 were highly profitable. Also, as Tim Redman has pointed out in another thread, during the 1996-1999 period although it seemed like the losses were minor, only $20,000 in one year, in reality our losses in operations were huge, over $300,000 in one year, but were shielded by big stock market gains, as the LMA was mostly invested in stocks. Because of the profits in the stock market, an outsider reading the financial statements would think that we were doing OK. Then, when the stock market started going down, the operating losses added to the stock market losses created huge deficits.
So, altogether, for the total of seven years that Goichberg has been on the board, three as vice-president and four as president, the USCF has suffered close to a million dollars in total operating losses, but Harry Payne, a newcomer, thinks that Goichberg is doing a great job and will vote for him and thinks that everything would be sweetness and light if only that Sam Sloan were kicked out of the USCF so he could not bother these people any more.
Sam Sloan