Re: ATMJ in Canada

[Atmj1@aol.com]

Dear Larry Manuel and Michael Davis…and all who are interested:

Larry Wrote:

"I was a charter subscriber and let my ATMJ subscription lapse.  Reason:  I
can't believe that it costs 10 US$ extra to mail the issues to Canada than to
the US. With current exchange rates, this translates to CAN$ 3.75 __extra__
postage per issue [at 4/year]."

Larry, you have a good point. But, did you ever contact me to share your
concerns or ask me about the matter? Have I EVER been beyond reach to any of
our members -- anywhere? Have I EVER acted like I didn't want input from our
members, OR…..have I not BEGGED for it on MANY occasions?? Have I ever
conducted myself in such a way as to give the impression that my goals involve
anything beyond offering the best support I can for our hobby?

IMMEDIATELY upon reading your post, I went to our shipper and asked that he
come up with some mailing costs for me to look at and compare. If I can lower
the cost, I will do so immediately.

I can certainly see how you, or anyone, might think that anyone with a lick of
sense should have had that information under his belt before starting out.
That is a totally logical assumption. The same one I would have made had I
been in your shoes. However, I have proven again and again that I do not have
a lick of sense. Had I a lick of sense, I would have taken the advice of Perry
Remacklus and Peter Ceravolo and not started the Journal in the first place.

The bigger picture is that handling all I have had to deal with concerning the
Journal, my real job, the problems of my teenage sons, and, in the beginning,
my responsibilities to the Navy, I had to operate in the "put out the biggest
fires first" mode. 

Sometime after you left the ATMA, one of your countrymen contacted me to say
that he thought we were "a bit" too high in our postage for Canadian's and
when the price went to $22 a for U.S. membership, I held Canada at the old
price, feeling that I was complying with a reasonable request.

Since then, I have heard nothing - at least that I remember - from anyone in
Canada. With that, and having a large number of Canadian members, I was left
to think that all was well. Trying to earn a profit to keep the Journal alive,
I may have subconsciously pushed the matter to the back of my mind while
considering that some members in distant countries repeatedly ask for
additional copies - to be sent First Class - to make up for the ones they
didn't receive. This is especially true with some of our members in some South
American countries. After sending 1 extra copy to some countries by first
class, the profit goes out the door. That of course was something else that I
hadn't planned on either. And then there are those who send there dues in
their national currency. If we send them the Journal based on most other
currencies, we lose. If we take the time to work with the bank and then the
time to contact the individual by mail to clarify, we lose in another way. I
hope you can see that any oversight was most definitely unintentional.

I will let you know what I find out about mailing costs to Canada via the List
as soon as I find out myself. In the meantime, I want to restate that I am
here to serve as best I can. However, I am not a mind reader. People must tell
me these things, or I may remain in the dark.

With Captain's taking over, I have a few additional hands to help. And, even
though it is in a limited way, it is much better than I had while shouldering
the whole thing for 5+ years. With this new help, and Barlow Pepin onboard we
can only improve our service. 

Regards to all,

Bill Cook