Andy Easton does not work for the AOS. He is neither a Trustee nor a member of the Executive Committee. Yet it is interesting to note that Andy Easton is the apologist for the 2 past presidents. Where does Andy's inside information come from? Could it be from Rob?
And Andy's reason to justify the disastrous financial position of the AOS - the palace/Taj Mahal needs money. (Didn't they make a movie about it called 'The Money Pit'?) Before this new Taj Mahal, the AOS had a very strong financial position. It could afford and even had a Director of Education. Thanks to The Money Pit, the AOS is in dire straits, has no Director of Education, has minimal staff and is constantly looking for money. The AOS had enough money to pay for the construction of The Money Pit but never planned on money to operate it. Can you say "Poor planning"? In addition, the AOS financial gurus have apparently managed to "beat" the market and lose more than everyone else. In the past, the AOS has been a thriving organization that put out a first-class publication. It did not have nor did it need a fancy headquarters. The AOS does not need fancy greenhouses and gardens. The magazine subscribers did not ask for this. It appears to be the ego of just a few people that has put us into this financial quagmire. I believe that Andy is yet again incorrect when he states that David Grove is wrong in stating that the present increase in membership is a brief blip. In fact, it is clearly nothing more than that. However, we can also argue about the number of angels that could dance on the head of a pin. Time will confirm that this was a blip. The AOS forum attracts some of the magazine subscribers but the vast majority don't have the time to spend and simply don't care. The AOS has less and less to offer its magazine subscribers. Nice to know that Andy stands by his friend James Rassmann. Andy, would you care to tell people how often Mr. Rassmann has stayed at your home? They say "Birds of a feather . . ." So, I must presume that Mr. Rassmann has all of your fine qualities. It is also nice to see that you admit having the "inside scoop" from the Nominating Committee. Did this come from Mr. Rassmann himself? Aren't those deliberations supposed to be confidential? Andy, your comments, as usual, are very informative.
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