"KenF" wrote in
ups.com:

I got another "Join Now" junk mail from Trout Unlimited in today's
post. I used to belong to Trout Unlimited, I think they do some good
work both locally on some Wisconsin streams of my acquaintance and in
the lobbying world of Washington D.C. But I quit in a snit many years
ago over a stupid policy that I hope has been changed by now and I'd
like to hear from some roffians familiar with Trout Unlimited as to
whether this is the case or not.

My snit was with the national policy requiring every TU member to
belong to a local chapter and requiring the local chapter to send
mailings to every person in the chapter. The closest TU chapter to me
is in Oakbrook, Illinois, a tony suburb of Chicago full of lawyers and
dentists about 130 miles from Urbana. When I belonged to TU I received
the Oakbrook newsletter six or so times a year along with a bill. So I
called one of the officers listed in the newsletter and told him I live
130 miles away and I'm not interested in your chapter or your
newsletter so please remove me from your membership roll. No can do. I
had to belong to their chapter and they had to send me their
newsletter. They probably could have quit sending me rude dunning
letters suggesting that I must be a deadbeat for not contributing
towards my fair share of the newsletter and its postage but like I said
they were a bunch of lawyers and dentists.

So has this stupid policy been changed ? Can I safely send TU $35 a
year without getting nasty letters from a bunch of rich, cheap-assed
lawyers and dentists from Oakbrook ?


Every member must belong to a Chapter, and every chapter must publish at
least two newsletters a year. These days, many chapters seem to be
fulfilling this requirement electronically.

Chapters are not supposed to bill for the newsletter mailings, but I can
understand why some feel compelled to do so. If they bill, they damn well
should take your name off the mailing list if you don't want to pay. In
the old days, it was tough, as National sent mailing labels to the
chapters. Now they send an electronic list, so it might be easier to
take a name off.

My chapter does not bill, and will not if they expect my affiliation to
continue.

--
Scott
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